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Extended Clip - Roma Midfielder Cristian Volpato: Australia Vs Italy World Cup Controversy
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Carlo Garganese and Nima Tavallaey discuss Roma midfielder Cristian Volpato's decision to reject to play for the Socceroos in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the following endless barrage of abuse he's received on social media from Australian football fans.
This is an extended clip from this week's Thursday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is only available for patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Cristian Volpato's National Team Dilemma
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Let's move on to another Roma-related issue. Now, this is an issue which has got everyone in Australia talking. It's caused huge, huge controversy in Australia. And it's regards to Cristian Volpato, who's an 18-year-old attacker for Roma,
00:00:24
Speaker
who was born in Australia, then came over to Italy, but born in Australia to parents of Italian descent, Italian parents. And he didn't make it in the Australian youth system.
Volpato's Journey from Australia to Roma
00:00:41
Speaker
He played for two academy teams in Australia, Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC, they released him, said basically,
00:00:48
Speaker
officially. He wasn't good enough. He then got a trial with Roma a couple of years ago. They signed him up as a, as a teenager, 16 year old. And he's really flourished. He's really blossomed. And he's been playing for it to these youth youth teams.
00:01:06
Speaker
He then progressed into the first team for Roma.
Impact on Roma and National Team Rejection
00:01:11
Speaker
He scored in Serie A. He scored that key decisive goal a couple of weeks ago. He's been playing in the... He was very, very important in the turnaround against Ludogarets, which got Roma through to the knockout round of the Europa League. And he really changed the game. Him and Zagnolo a half-time was brilliant in that game.
00:01:31
Speaker
And he also played, he also came on, no, he started actually against Saswella on Wednesday as well. So, you know, this has only really happened the last few weeks at Roma. He's become like quite an important part of the first team setup. And so, yeah, the World Cup squads have been announced this week. We've seen all the World Cup squads have been announced, Australia announced theirs this week.
00:01:57
Speaker
So all of a sudden, Australia tried to call Volpato up and their manager Graham Arnold says that he tried to call, that he spoke to him three times, Volpato three times. And basically Volpato turned down the call and he put out an Instagram post where he explained his reasons, which I thought were very, very fair. And he basically said that he's 18 years old and he wants to keep his options open. He doesn't want to rush
00:02:26
Speaker
a decision at the age of 18. So I repeat, he was born in Australia, grew up in Australia, but he has Italian parents.
Racism and Criticism Faced by Volpato
00:02:35
Speaker
Now what has followed is he has been subjected to an absolute barrage of abuse from
00:02:43
Speaker
from Australians, from those in Australia. I'll be honest with you, it's racism, as simple as that, that he's been subjected to. It's been the usual, you're Australian, you were born in Australia, you should play for Australia, you're ungrateful, you know, all this nonsense that you always get, and you get a lot from Australians. I mean, it's been awful for an 18-year-old.
00:03:09
Speaker
And yeah, I think it's disgusting, to be honest with you, for an 18-year-old kid, especially as I know, through speaking to people in the know that know him, that this guy was treated very badly as well by the Australian football system.
00:03:25
Speaker
that he was part, as I said, of Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC. Now both threw him out officially said he wasn't up to it, also I think critical of his attitude apparently, but it was basically from people that are close to him, basically because he was Italian. That was the reason that Sydney is a very Australian place and it's kind of
00:03:45
Speaker
you know, who you know, it's a bit of a boys club, boys club, and he wasn't one of them. And, you know, he was, you know, he wasn't regarded as anyone of any importance, really. And doesn't say much for the Australian youth system, does it? Basically, this guy wasn't good enough for two of their teams, but then was good enough for Roma.
00:04:05
Speaker
And now, all of a sudden, at the 11th hour, they've come running back, and they want him. They want to try and force him, pressure him, basically, into accepting a call-up at the age of 18.
Pressure on Dual-Nationals to Choose Teams
00:04:15
Speaker
But let's be honest, what is frankly an awful Australia team that's going to go out in the first round probably with no points. So yeah, I think it's shameful. But it doesn't surprise me. It's kind of typical how people like as Volpato that are born in a country like Australia
00:04:35
Speaker
and but have Italian parents are treated really yeah it's really funny isn't it like you're you know treated like you're not one of us you're Italian you're this you're that and then all of a sudden you're oh you owe an allegiance that like people are entitled to you um it's it's funny isn't it i mean there's just an ice hockey for example i remember
00:04:56
Speaker
Uh, my cousin played youth, uh, played ice hockey, all his, you know, his entire childhood still does, but not at a high level. But I remember a lot of these kids who played, who playing the NHL now, uh, especially Mika Ziva-Najad, who's Sweden's biggest star. He has, he has Finnish and Iranian parents. I remember when he was a kid.
00:05:18
Speaker
I distinctly remember the youth team coach saying he will never amount to anything. And that he was not, you know, very racist undertones. And because it is a boys club, and then he obviously turned out to be, he is Sweden's biggest star. He won Sweden the Junior World Championships. He plays for the New York Rangers. He's one of Sweden's biggest hockey stars right now. So, you know, and all of a sudden, you know, he, it was this like,
00:05:48
Speaker
It was this notion that all the bullshit he had to deal with just didn't exist. Do you know what I mean? He's always been part of the family kind of thing. And I think that's ridiculous. I think Volpato is right to do what he wants. He doesn't owe anyone anything. This notion that just because you were born someplace or
00:06:13
Speaker
or, you know, it's a two way street, you know, making him feel Australian is equal parts. The Australian Football Federation's responsibility is in his vol partos. And clearly there's been a disconnect there. So he doesn't owe anyone anything. No, he doesn't know anyone anything. He doesn't want anything. They didn't want anything to do with
Issues of Cultural Bias in Sports
00:06:31
Speaker
him. Yeah. The first time they even spoke to him was just like, you know, in the last weeks, basically never had anything to do with him. It reminds me of the Swedish national team coach as well, Jan and the show now when he was complaining about how
00:06:42
Speaker
They were players born in Sweden, raised in Sweden, who have parents from other countries, or even born in other countries, but raised in Sweden. And he was whinging about, oh, we've got to do something. We are educating these players, and then they don't want to play for us and play for other countries. Well, it's so ridiculous.
00:07:02
Speaker
If you had called them up and treated them with respect, they would have played for Sweden then. But you didn't, so they didn't. I mean, it's not harder than that. The funny thing with Australia is that, I mean, I know it's changing a little bit now.
00:07:19
Speaker
But, you know, for a lot of Australians, for a long, long time, and still, I think, to an extent now, you know, a lot of Australians kind of, you know, make fun of, of, let's say, the the Italian immigrants in Australia that have a liking for football. And this is just this is just just about just talking about football here, you know, that they look down on on football as a game. But then obviously, you know, Australia in a World Cup, you know, the four year fans and all that kind of stuff. And, you know, they're the kind of fans that they don't really give a shit about football.
00:07:50
Speaker
And then as soon as, you know, as soon as Australia are out of the World Cup, they'll be, you know, they won't even
Xenophobia in Sports and Balancing Heritage
00:07:55
Speaker
care. They'll stop caring again. And then these are the kind of people and fans who are absolutely laying into Volpato. And it's like, well, you know, you're the kind of fans that are looking down on football. You know, what do you care? You know, and the other thing is, I mean,
00:08:11
Speaker
Australia want to, you know, stereotype all Australians, it's not all Australians, but there is a problem with xenophobia in in Australia. We want it everywhere. Yeah. But in Australia, there is a massive problem with xenophobia. And that I think that's Valparzo is is obviously is seeing that now firsthand. And also, there just isn't an understanding and this is someone myself who was born in England to
00:08:39
Speaker
you know Italian parents, well my dad was 12 when he came over to England and my mum was actually born here but both her parents like my dad's parents were
00:08:50
Speaker
were born and grew up in Italy and came over here. And obviously, we're all grateful for everything that the country's given us, the opportunities and all that. But, you know, as any anyone that's an immigrant or is, you know, second generation immigrant will tell you, you know, they've all they've all seen, they've all suffered from, you know, I'm sure you have as well in, you know, in just read Zlatan Ibrahimovic's book. He's the same age as me. And he was born here. I wasn't.
00:09:17
Speaker
I mean, we've all got it. We've all we've all got it growing up at school that the whole kind of, you know, number one, if you're born in if you're born in the country, you're told, well, you're untold. I'll be told, oh, you're English. You were born in England. That makes you English. Well, actually, no, it doesn't. It's up. It's up to the point. You can't tell someone what they feel. You know, some people
00:09:34
Speaker
are born in a country they feel you know that that's what they are or you know their blood is is uh well their heritage i mean they respect their heritage that's the thing i mean it's it's important yeah that's what i'm saying if you come from older cultures especially if you come i mean people's culture is important to them regardless of where they're from and they would want to marry that with their with their with a new culture they are whether they're in and and if that and if you don't and if that new culture cannot accept that then of course people are going to fall back to
00:10:30
Speaker
to what they know best, where the roots are from. It's really not harder than that.