The old lady has a dark side, and this week it has shown its teeth in the most chilling manner possible. GoalZaza can confirm that a group of Juventus...
The old lady has a dark side, and this week it has shown its teeth in the most chilling manner possible. GoalZaza can confirm that a group of Juventus ultras issued a direct threat to midfielder Manuel Locatelli, warning that they would storm the pitch if he failed to secure a result. This is not the roar of the Curva Sud on a Champions League night. This is a cold, calculated menacing of a player who is already carrying the weight of a struggling side on his shoulders.Let's be clear. Football without passion is dead. The tribal loyalty of the terraces is what separates this sport from the sanitised corporate product. But there is a line, and these lads have pole vaulted it. The threat emerged as new details surfaced regarding the condition of a fan who was seriously injured in recent disturbances. It is a grim reminder that when the line between supporter and thug blurs, the game itself becomes a hostage.Locatelli is no shrinking violet. He has the technical brain to orchestrate a midfield and the grit to take a tackle. But what is a man supposed to do when his own support base turns the screw He cannot park the bus against his own crowd. He cannot play a low block to protect himself from the very noise that is supposed to lift him. It creates a madness on the pitch; a squeaky bum time that has nothing to do with the opposition and everything to do with the atmosphere in the stands.The truth is, Juventus are in a transitional mess. Their tactical flexibility has been non existent at times, and the results have been ugly. But to weaponise the health of an injured fan against a player That is not banter. That is not passion. That is a sickness. And if the club's hierarchy does not step in with a ban hammer that makes the stadium shake, they will have lost more than a few points. They will have lost the soul of the fixture.
