From a sporting point of view, it was crucial that pursuers Atalanta Bergamo failed to win their away game against Sassuolo Calcio (1-1) and Inter, under coach Antonio Conte, could no longer overtake four game days before the end of the season. There was no stopping the Inter supporters.
The coronavirus and the rules of conduct did not seem to have mattered that day. Around 30,000 fans romped around tightly packed and partly without mouth and nose covering in the center of the Lombard capital. Inter had called for “responsible” celebrations via its social media channels.
Sharp criticism of the mayor
Motorcades with flag-waving “Nerazzurri” fans pushed their way through the congested streets. In the middle was also a cheering Romelu Lukaku, Inter’s top scorer. “Your support means everything to us,” the 27-year-old told the fans via Instagram. However, the exuberant celebration quickly met with sharp criticism – among others, the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. On his Facebook page, many citizens complained that the Inter supporters were allowed to celebrate despite the coronavirus pandemic, but other people were not.
One could understand the joy, but with more than 121,000 coronavirus deaths nationwide, accumulations should be avoided, an expert from the Ministry of Health said on Italian television on Monday. Lombardy in particular was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. To the northeast of Milan lies the city of Bergamo, which gained notoriety because of its many victims. Regional President Attilio Fontana hoped that the fan celebration would not increase the number of infections.
End of the Juve domination
The master in the criticism – that’s probably not how the Inter fans had imagined it. Their title win marks the end of Juventus’ dominance. “La Vecchia Signora” (“The Old Lady”), as the club is also called in Italy, won the Scudetto in the previous nine seasons. Inter’s last title to date dates from the legendary 2009/10 season. At that time they won the triple under coach Jose Mourinho: championship, cup and Champions League.
