(New Jersey!)

(No, this isn’t about the state. Sorry. )

Today, Cannavaro and The Don unveiled Italy’s new away shirt, which will be worn for the first time when the Azzurri visit Scotland this weekend.  Here’s the best photo I could find. (Channel 4 has a few more, but… well… they suck worse than this one, if you can imagine that.)

If you look at the Channel 4 shots, you can see that it says “Italia” in gold at the back of the collar. You’ll also see the funky (and I mean “funky” as in “I’m not sure if I like it,” not funky as in “cool“) font that they used for the name and number.

Additionally, if you squint really hard, you can almost hear Cannavaro whispering “Don, why the f*ck is this thing so shiny? And gold? What the sh!t is that? No, seriously, Gold? That, plus the white chrome material, and Grosso’s going to look like a g*ddamn disco inferno on Saturday.”

In case you’re wondering, the home (i.e blue, as in azzurro, as in Azzurri) shirt won’t be unveiled until a little before the actual tourney. (That is… assuming our ragazzi make it. If they don’t make it, I’m not sure if I’ll care when they unveil the new shirt.)

In other news…

Basically, the untimely death of Gabriele Sandri has more or less thrown Italy into chaos from a calcio standpoint. Here’s a quick round-up:

• First off, there is some disturbing information coming to light regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
• Second, Manchester United has offered to refund English supporters who purchased tickets for the December Manchester - Roma Champions League match, which is set to take place in Rome. (Surely, that’s not a good sign in terms of the state of Italian soccer’s reputation.)
• Lastly, while Roma and Inter have had their matches rescheduled, Atalanta may have to forfeit their interrupted match, handing three points to Milan. I’m sure Atalanta are just thrilled with their Ultras right about now.

Categories: Azzurri, Euro 2008