San Siro stagecraft
Organised crowd involvement at football matches doesn’t always work. Having parted with your hard-earned to get through the turnstiles, it’s a bit of an imposition to be told what to do. And if all the children in the stadium don’t want to play, the effect can be a little disappointing. That wasn’t a problem last night.
AC Milan laid on a masterclass in theatrical fan logistics before their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. Everyone in the ground seemed to be pulling their weight.
“Insieme, con il diavolo in corpo” translates as, “Together, with the devil inside”. It sounds quite good, doesn’t it? Vaguely threatening, but not totally hostile.
Believe it or not, this phrase you’re going to be mumbling to yourself for days to come is a pun. And quite a good one, too. Milan’s satanic nickname is Il Diavolo. “Avere in diavolo in corpo” - “having the devil inside” - means to be firing on all cylinders, being on top of your game. Clever, eh? Countdown gets big audiences in Rome.