The Guardian wrote:Italian coach banned for taking God’s name in vain

Chievo’s coach was not the only one caught out; one of his players, Michele Marcolini, was deemed to have said ’God’ as he left the field after a red card

* John Hooper in Rome
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 2 March 2010 20.20 GMT


Chievo duo Andrea Mantovani and Pablo Granoche celebrate their team’s 2-1 victory over Cagliari in Serie A. Domenico Di Carlo, their manager, has been banned for taking God’s name in vain. Photograph: Felice Calabro/AP

Domenico “Mimmo” Di Carlo could not be said to have emblazoned his name on the annals of Italian football – until, that is, last Sunday in the third minute of the second half of Chievo’s 2-1 victory over Cagliari in Serie A.

It was at this moment, according to the disciplinary watchdog of the Italian football league, that the Verona club’s coach “proffered a blasphemous expression” that was to make him the first victim of a zero-tolerance policy on irreverence. Di Carlo, whose side narrowly avoided relegation last season, was banned from the touchline for a game after Sunday’s outburst. The Italian federation, Federcalcio, decided last month that the time had come for disciplinary action to be taken against players and coaches heard taking God’s name in vain. The president, Giancarlo Abete, declared it would “intervene with official decisions to make clear that blasphemy is within the definition of ’offensive, insulting or abusive language’ in the rules [that warrant sending-off]”.

Chievo’s coach was not the only one caught out; one of his players, Michele Marcolini, was deemed to have said “God” as he left the field after a red card. After scrutiny of TV footage, however, the league judge, Gianpaolo Tosel, was convinced Marcolini had deployed “a slang expression used in Lombardy and [the region around Venice] with a crude reference to ’Diaz’ and not ’Dio’ ”– although no one on the pitch was called Diaz.

Odysseus wrote:You'd think Italy had more pressing issues to deal with... like institutional corruption in politics and business, and don't get me started on paedo priests....

Varangian wrote:What's next? Having to be properly married in order to score?

I'm With Stupid wrote:

Varangian wrote:What's next? Having to be properly married in order to score?

I thought married men never scored?