World cup 2010 news

Eighteen months ago, Amauri was perhaps the most hotly debated international in the land – solely because he wasn’t an international at all. After a big money & big talent move north to Juventus, Amauri got off to a blistering start in Torino.

This didn’t impress Dunga, who refused to call up the giant Drogba-wig impersonator to the shock of many (though he was eventually called for a friendly but pulled out injured), which sent alarms blaring all over Italia because the Azzurri are still desperately searching under every rock in the peninsula for that first striker. And after years – quite literally years – it’ll all culminate today when Amauri finally gets his Italian passport.

Yet after all the hullabaloo, no one cares anymore.

This isn’t because everyone in Italy has come to a consensus – come on, let’s be realistic – but perhaps because very few have fallen farther than Amauri over the last year. He began the ‘08-09 season in torrid form for a new signee, scoring 13 goals before the Christmas break. Then the wheels came off and rolled somewhere not Torino – perhaps France. Since January 1st, 2009, Amauri has scored a whole six Serie A goals – four of which came in a ten day explosion during October.

This is not how you justify a €22m transfer tag. It is how you infuriate your own fans, though.

Combine this with Lippi’s words, and you have to think The Great Amauri Saga was nothing more than a farce:

“In May, I will choose those who are in the best condition – today every player is under observation. The oriundi [foreigners with Italian ancestry], honestly, a little less. There are enough Italian players.”

Marcello reiterated the “every player is under observation” bit two days ago.

So 18 months after the country was in a mini-furor over Amauri’s possible inclusion, he will get his passport and no one will care to look twice.

Well, perhaps Dunga, shadowed in the sliest of smirks.