Night Heroes (Italian Edition)

At that moment, Italians all over the world jumped up from their seats and began to party. The festa went on deep into the night across Italy, with the usual chaotic cacophony of car horns, fireworks, flares, chants and scary car driving. But who was the two-goal Italian hero? Could some of those celebrating so wildly have been the same fans who, for years, had given Balotelli such a hard time in stadiums across the peninsula.

Heroes Of The Night

The most infamous chant of all implied that the striker was not what he claimed to be: Another version of this chant was even more explicit. As is well known by now, Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents in , who then gave him up for adoption to an Italian family in the north of Italy when he was just two. Under Italian law, however, he was not able to obtain Italian citizenship until he reached the age of 18, despite having been born in Italy and having always lived there. Meanwhile, players who were born elsewhere for example, Thiago Motta from the current squad, born in Brazil had a near-automatic right to Italian citizenship as they had Italian relatives.

But Balotelli has always been Italian.

Romance in Italy (and/or) Italian Heroes and Heroines

He speaks the language with a broad Brescian accent, attended local Italian schools and learned his football there. His "blackness" is therefore the issue, something which has marked him out in a country that has experienced mass foreign immigration since the mids. And Super Mario is not one to hide from publicity. He is not humble, but extremely sure of himself. He does not bow and scrape, but seems almost to enjoy the notoriety he has received from fans and players alike. He is black and extremely good at football, and he is a winner. He has played less than league games for his two major clubs Inter and Manchester City and won four championships in that time and four other trophies.

Not a bad record for a year-old.

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So, Balotelli's two goals last night exposed the contradictions of the racist chants against him. Did the racists sit in their seats and look glum, as the goals went in? No, of course they didn't. They partied just like everyone else. Those two goals have taken on immense symbolic power. They are a sign that black Italians are here to stay, and this is something that a strong minority of Italians find very difficult to accept.

Mario Balotelli encapsulates the stark reality of a multicultural society. Immigrants are usually seen as OK as long as they are invisible, they don't bother you and they don't have rights, and work in kitchens, or as cleaners or carers. Last month, some of those who died after the earthquakes in central Italy were immigrants, obliged to return to factories which then collapsed on their heads. Life in Italy , for the average immigrant, is back-breaking and dangerous. They are not supposed to be seen, to be rich and famous, or be good at anything, or to be "one of us".

Reactions to Balotelli's recent success with the national team have also been illuminating. At best this was in very bad taste, especially as Croatia had been fined for monkey chants towards Balotelli after an earlier game in the tournament. Yet, La Gazzetta didn't seem to think that they had made a mistake at all. They didn't get it. It's almost enough to make you think they don't really like each other all that much. Or maybe they're just busy. In any case, Berlusconi insists that "these four heroes you see sitting around this table will win". What's more, the public deficit fell to 1.

The PD says it vindicates their policies to reform Italy's economy and drag it out of a ten-year slump. But will voters listen? Their economic track record is one of the Democrats' strongest selling points, but so far they've had little chance to air it in a campaign dominated by immigration and security. The Five Star Movement, ever the non-conformists, thought they'd set a bold new precedent by telling voters who they'd put in government before winning a single vote.

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As we've been reporting, the M5S began announcing its would-be cabinet ministers as early as this week. The announcements, including a former swimming champ as sports minister and an ex-carabinieri general in charge of the environment, left other parties perplexed.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni called the situation "surreal'. In a continuation of the violence that has blighted the campaign for the past few weeks, a supporter of the neofascist CasaPound party says he was badly beaten last night in Livorno, Tuscany. According to CasaPound, he was attacked by people wielding clubs as he attempted to rehang an election poster that had been torn down. The group says he had to be taken to hospital and risks losing an eye. CasaPound held a rally in Rome tonight. In an effort to avoid any more violence, Rome has denied another extreme-right party permission to march in the capital tomorrow.

Forza Nuova, which already plans to hold four separate rallies in the city, has been told that all its supporters have to stay in designated areas rather than attempting to parade between them. Counter-protests by antifascists have also been banned as part of Rome's clampdown on demonstrations in the final days of the campaign. An unofficial observer flew into Rome today, according to various sources: Bannon is reportedly "intrigued" by the election, notably the prospects of right-wing populists' success, and thinks it could be the start of a "new path" in Europe.

The League's Matteo Salvini is very proud of having met Trump ; would he be as starstruck by his former strategist? Congratulations to Silvio Berlusconi, who just became a grandpa, again. His daughter Barbara gave birth last night to her fourth son, little Francesco Amos.

For all his attempts to resist a dignified senior citizenship, Berlusconi is an old hand at giving grandfatherly attention by now: Francesco is his 11th — eleventh — grandchild. Here he is showing his nonno side by wiping Salvini's face with a hankie at their press conference. Hey, we're not magicians which is what polling experts say it would take to predict what'll happen on Sunday.

But we can run down a few of the most likely scenarios.

Heroes Of The Night - Wikipedia

Will the right-wing coalition win — and if so, who'll be prime minister? Or might Berlusconi peel off to form a grand coalition with the centre-left? Or will they end up doing the election all over again? Take a look at what to expect after Italy's vote. People's reaction to body odour might tell us who they'll vote for.

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That's the conclusion of a new Swedish-Italian study , which found that people who are especially revolted by bodily smells like sweaty armpits, pongy feet or wee are more likely to be drawn to authoritarian leaders. The researchers suggest that it might be rooted in a primal urge to avoid being contaminated with disease, which pushes people to avoid contact with strangers — and may ultimately translate into a preference for hardline politicians who promise to, say, build a wall between different national or social groups.

If there are any areas of Italian politics you'd like The Local to explain or take an in-depth look at, get in touch at news. Iceland may have a population of just over , people all with equally unpronounceable names but that doesn't stop it churning out a stream of globally-renowned people.

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Other pages Apartment rentals Noticeboard. Today in Italian politics: Berlusconi has four heroes, and one of them is himself The Local. In the run-up to the Italian general election on March 4th, The Local is bringing you a daily round up of who's done what and why in the fast-moving world of Italian politics.

Days to go until Italy votes: