Italian manager/coach updates

Chelsea manager/trainer Carlo Ancelotti became the first Italian coach to win the Premier League last weekend as his team thrashed Wigan 8-0 to beat Man Utd. to the top. Ancelotti is also set to take the Londonclub to the 'double' next weekend with the FA Cup final against Portsmouth at Wembley. In the meantime the Reggio Emilia born former player flew to Naples to give evidence in the Italian 'calciopoli' football bribery trials. He was questioned by the prosecution who began to examine him over his time at both Milan, and his previous spell at Juventus. In particular Ancelotti reflected on the 2004-05 season. The coach denied knowledge of any conditioning of the league fixtures. source

Back in London, West Ham have dismissed coach Gianfranco Zola after a negative seson in which the club nearly faced relegation. They finished fourth from bottom, five points above Burnley. The club issued a statement asfter the sacking of Zola saying "The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future." The Sardinain leaves the club with spirits high however stating that "Despite what has been a very difficult period for me, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at West Ham." source

Roberto Mancini's position as coach/manager at Manchester City seems safe however as club bosses assure he will remain. Mancini is already planning to bring his wife, Federica, over to England in September and is now renting a house after spending his first few months in Manchester in a city-centre hotel. Club chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, said "(Roberto) has done an excellent job, coming in mid-season and organising the team". City have won a place in next year's Europa League.

And on World Cup level, England coach Fabio Capello has made several surprise choices in his 30-man squad to go to South Africa in June. Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker, Adam Johnson and Michael Dawson are the surprise names to make the squad. Surprisingly, the England coach has selected just five forwards, with Darren Bent joining Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch, although missing out on the inital squad does not necessarily mean exclusion from the World Cup. Once his final 23-man group is named Capello is still allowed to make changes due to injury, and replacements do not have to come out of the original 30.

Capello decides captain's fate

England coach Fabio Capello stripped John Terry of his role as team capatian on Friday after reports of his alleged love affair with ex-partner of England team-mate Wayne Bridge. The final decision was left up to Capello, and was met with general approval by the press with headlines such as 'Grazie Signor Capello' and 'Terrevederci'.
After his 12 minute meeting with Terry Capello said "This is now over, it is finished. It is time to move on, but John Terry is still an important player for England." Capataincy of the team will be taken over by Rio Ferdinand.
The other Italian coach in Terry's career, Carlo Ancelotti of Chelsea, paid tribute to his "perfect'' captain after the club beat London rivals Arsenal on Sunday putting the Blues back on top of the Premier League.

picture: telegraph.co.uk

Italian firm in salary dispute

The "British jobs for British workers" slogan and ethic of last year once again rears it's ugly head.

source: The Guardian:
British workers at a power plant project have been undercut by a subcontractor paying Italian labourers over £1,000 less on average per week than the agreed rate. A pay audit revealed that Italian firm CMN, one of the subcontractors employed by engineering firm Alstom to build a power station at Staythorpe in the east Midlands, was defying a national pay deal agreed between Unite the union and the industry. The audit, requested by unions, revealed that between April 2009 and December 2009, an average of 17 labourers a month were being paid an average of €1,300 a month less than the agreed rate.
Unite's assistant general secretary, Les Bayliss said: "The underpayment of these workers is outrageous. We have demanded that the workers are paid back in full. Unite will not allow employers to get away with breaking agreements and underpaying its workers, regardless of nationality."

Mancini goes to Manchester

45 year old Italian Roberto Mancini has been nominated Manchester City's new coach / manager after Mark Hughes was sacked over the weekend.
Ancona born Mancini has already enjoyed a successful career as coach at Inter-Milan as well as with Rome's Lazio and Fiorentina before that, as well as an impressive record as a player with Bologna, Sampdoria and Lazio. City will be his first experience in England, apart from a brief stint with Leicester City in 2001 where he played 4 matches before retiring as a player. The Times reports he is planning to bring two or three Italian players to the Manchester club as well as some of his ex fitness staff colleagues.
He will immediately be put to the test with City as they confront three games in quick succession over the Christmas period, something which does not happen in Italy where Christmas is considered a rest period.

Italian student arrested for filming in London

An article in The Guardian, also featured on Italian national TV news programme TG2, has told of her ordeal after being stopped by two police officers for filming buildings in the Paddington area of London.
Simona Bonomo, 32, an art student at London Metropolitan University continued filming when she was approached by officers who asked her what she was doing and demanded ID. After being accused of being "cocky" Ms Borromeo was threatened with a fine for cycling the wrong way down a one-way street. The two officers then went away but then returned with about six others. The student was then accused of being aggressive, bundled to the ground and arrested. She was then held in custody for 5 hours and charged with a fine of £80 for "harassment, alarm and distress in a public place."
The Met confirmed that a woman was stopped and searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act.
Source. The Guardian
in Italian: Corriere della Sera

New Ryanair flights

Ryanair has announced new flight routes between Italy and the UK.
As from 19th December it will be possible to fly between Turin and Bristol, and from Bristol to Venice/Treviso as from 29th March 2010. A flight from Cuneo in Piedmont to London Stansted will also start this month as will the flight from East Midlands in the UK to Turin. Flights from Liverpool to the popular seaside resort of Rimini and to Trapani in Sicily will also open at the end of March next year, as will Pisa / Leeds.
Easyjet on the other hand has cancelled its daily flight between Bristol and Venice International.

Check Ryanair's new routes page for more flights and details

Knox and Sollecito guilty of Kercher murder

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