Last Friday morning, AS Roma's Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata was preparing himself for yet another of the many frustrating weekends that have been his lot this season. Bought by Roma from Perugia for $25 million midway through last season Nakata (24), has spent most of this year in the grandstand, shut out by an Italian Federation ruling which limited each club to three non-EU foreigners per 18-player team list.
With Brazilians Cafu and Zago and Argentinians Gabriel Batistuta and Walter Samuel commanding regular team places in the side, there has been little space for Nakata this year. Last Friday morning, he was set to miss out on arguably the most important game of the season, namely the top-of-the-table clash between league leaders Roma and second-placed Juventus in Turin.
With Samuel, Cafu and Batistuta all considered certain starters, Nakata was destined to be left in Rome. Then, however, in-stepped the Good Fairy, complete with magic wand, in the guise of the Football Federation's "Federal Court". Responding on Friday to a legal challenge brought by no less than 25 players and six clubs (AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, Sampdoria, Udinese and Vicenza), the Federal Court ruled Article 40.7 - the one limiting the use of non-EU players to just three - to be "illegitimate". The ruling was to take effect immediately. By Friday evening, Italy's Serie A clubs could use as many foreigners as they wished, and Nakata was back in the squad.
As for the rest of the story, again it is over to the Good Fairy. With just six games left to play before last weekend, Roma led Juventus by six points with Lazio a further point away in third. The mathematics of Sunday night's big match were all too simple. This was a game Juventus had to win.
On an electrifying evening, and in front of a capacity 70,000 Stadio Delle Alpi crowd, it seemed no sooner said than done. Four minutes into the game French maestro Zinedine Zidane went off on one of his weaving runs, taking three defenders wide with him, before sending in a perfect cross for born-again Alessandro Del Piero to head home the opening goal. Two minutes later, the maestro struck again, this time finishing off the business himself. Picking up an excellent little square pass from Filippo Inzaghi, the Frenchman motored imperiously towards the Roma goal, striking home a majestic swerving drive from just outside the area. With just six minutes gone, Roma were down, if not out. Stunned by the twin blows of Del Piero and Zidane, the league leaders struggled for all of the next hour. The title contest, it seemed, had been dramatically re-opened. It was then, however, that the Friday Good Fairy opted to complete its work. With Roma standard bearer Francesco Totti clearly not at the races, coach Fabio Capello opted to substitute him, replacing him with, yes, Nakata. With 11 minutes remaining, Nakata pounced on a moment of Juventus midfield indecision on the halfway line, won possession, made ground and then struck an unstoppable 35-yard goal that revitalised Roma.
As the game went into injury time, the Japanese star struck again, collecting the ball just outside the area and hitting a shot that Juve's Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar should probably have stopped. The Good Fairy, however, saw to it that the Dutchman fumbled and in stepped Vincenzo Montella to score the allimportant equaliser.
With five games to play and having picked up consecutive 2-2 draws against closest rivals Lazio and Juventus, Roma are entitled to feel they have done the hard part. They now lead Lazio (easy 2-0 home winners against Bari on Sunday) by five points, with Juventus a point further away in third.
Doubtless, there will still be some moments of high drama between now and season's end on June 17th, but the impression remains that the title will go to Roma. If that proves so, then part of the scudetto clearly belongs to Nakata, the Federal Court and the Good Fairy.
pagnew@aconet.it
