Football Italia

[NorthernLights24]

Italian football is to return to terrestrial television for the first time since 2002 after Channel Five picked up the rights.

 

Five is expected to air Italian football coverage from the start of the 2007-8 season later this year, with output to be made by sports production company Sunset+Vine.

 

Sunset+Vine, a subsidiary of Welsh firm Tinopolis, already produces cricket highlights for Five.

 

"The main deal is for a highlights programme, although Five do have the rights for live matches as well," said Ron Jones, the executive chairman of Tinopolis.

 

Channel 4 first brought Serie A football to UK television in 1992 following the move of Paul Gascoigne to Lazio and screened matches and highlights until 2002, when it dropped coverage.

 

The rights were picked up by British Eurosport midway through 2002, with the channel screening matches until 2005, when Bravo and Setanta Sports took over in a joint deal.

 

Bravo announced it would not be screening any more matches from the end of December last year because of poor ratings.

 

Italian football is best known on UK TV for the Channel 4 Football Italia show, presented by James Richardson.

 

A Saturday morning show, Gazzetta, was voiced by the late Kenneth Wolstenholme and also shown on Channel 4.

 

A Five spokesman declined to comment.

 

Good news, just as long as bloody John Barnes doesn't present it.

[cgs1706]

Or Chappers

 

:tossr:

[minijc]

awesome news that is, i loved it on a sunday afternoon.

[Patty]

It's not going to be James Richardson anyways, that saddens me.

[Westendorfer]

It's not going to be James Richardson anyways, that saddens me.

 

Why not - has he got a contract with someone else now?

 

The only other thing I've seen him do recently is a column for the Guardian.

[BTR]

It's not going to be James Richardson anyways, that saddens me.

 

 

I used to like Gazzetta on a Saturday morning, with him always sat in some street cafe with an espresso looking like a proper Italian ponce. He was good though.

[TheChimp]

I used to like Gazzetta on a Saturday morning, with him always sat in some street cafe with an espresso looking like a proper Italian ponce. He was good though.

 

Doesn't he still do that on Bravo?

[tlg1903]

Doesn't he still do that on Bravo?

Pretty sure that he did, hopefully he will continue to do so on c5

[Wazzamatazz]

He hosts the weekly football podcast for the Guardian these days as well. The guys who do the Fiver email have already started the drum beating for him to do the presenting on Five.

 

He's got the distinct advantage over John Barnes, Colin Murray and co. of being an actual journalist who also happens to know Italian football inside out. If they get anyone else it'll be criminal.

[Madbad]

He hosts the weekly football podcast for the Guardian these days as well. The guys who do the Fiver email have already started the drum beating for him to do the presenting on Five.

 

He's got the distinct advantage over John Barnes, Colin Murray and co. of being an actual journalist who also happens to know Italian football inside out. If they get anyone else it'll be criminal.

 

TBH my *rse has a distinct advantege over John Barnes in that less sh*te comes out of it :laughmad: , difficult to do worse IMO

[Sonoftherock]

He's got the distinct advantage over John Barnes, Colin Murray and co. of being an actual journalist who also happens to know Italian football inside out. If they get anyone else it'll be criminal.

 

He's got a distinct advantage over those two numpties due to the fact he has more than one brain cell to rub together.

[DandyDons1903]

I said only the other week to my mate how much I'd love it if we still had Italian football on the telly. Many fond memories as a young lad watching Gazetta then going out to boot a ball around the park.

[Drew Peacock]

He hosts the weekly football podcast for the Guardian these days as well. The guys who do the Fiver email have already started the drum beating for him to do the presenting on Five.

 

He's got the distinct advantage over John Barnes, Colin Murray and co. of being an actual journalist who also happens to know Italian football inside out. If they get anyone else it'll be criminal.

 

It'd be great if they got Richardson and Gab Marcotti (italian journalist based in the UK - does a lot of radio stuff through TalkSport) to do the show.

 

Marcotti is superb too, and i used to love James Richardson's approach to that show.

[stonefish100]

Aye Richardson was quality on the saturday morning show, sitting outside a cafe with a copy of Gazetto and an expresso, full of knowing winks about the diving and corruption in Italian fitba.

 

Used to play fitba on a sunday morning then peg it hame to watch fitba Italia.

[uni_don]

So has anyone been watching the new Football Italiano? I watched it for a bit yesterday then got bored and switched to Scuzz instead before the SPL started on Setanta. What is it with Five and crap football presenters? First John Barnes and now some Italian bint who, whilst being hot, was far more effort to understand than was worthwhile, and Mark Chapman, who if you'll excuse the pun, has a face for the radio.

 

Shame the programme clashes with the SPL though as I'd quite like to get back into watching Serie A again.

[Guest Willo Flood]

Good news, just as long as bloody John Barnes doesn't present it.

 

Quality, used to love watching Italian football back in the day, when it was on Channel 4 and presented by James Richardson.

[WorthALook]

Why not - has he got a contract with someone else now?

 

The only other thing I've seen him do recently is a column for the Guardian.

 

Yep. Setanta. Hosts the Friday Football Show or something similar to that extent.