Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon got in to a spot of bizarre trouble with the Italian Jewish community after choosing the number 88 shirt for this season - the figure is seen as a neonazi symbol, a code for Heil Hitler (the letter H being the eighth of the alphabet). "Poppycock," said his Ma, in so many words. "Gigi chose this number for his own reasons," she said, but wouldn't explain. But he did, finally, last week. "This is a season in which I must show my character. It is commonplace to say that one has `balls'. That's why I chose 88, a number that has four balls. There's nothing more to it," he said. Mmm, okay. So, what number has he chosen now? "Buffon has decided to pick the number 77 - which of course means `ladies legs' in bingo," revealed an Italian newspaper. "Let us hope that he has not therefore upset the feminists."