Society's Child

No exceptions: Chain-smoking Italian manager of Chelsea Football Club comes to terms with UK's totalitarian anti-smoking culture

RT
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 15:11 UTC

Maurizio Sarri, recently appointed as Antonio Conte's replacement at Stamford Bridge, was known for smoking on the sidelines while at Napoli but was forced to find a workaround because of the smoking ban at EPL stadiums.

Sarri, the 59-year-old Italian charged with resurrecting a Chelsea side which fell stagnant during the stewardship of former head coach Antonio Conte, started his Premiership career with a 3-0 win away to Huddersfield Town in the first round of games of the new English season this weekend.

The Italian, famous for indulging his tobacco habit on the touchlines of the grounds in Serie A, has been forced to abide by rules governing English stadiums which forbid smoking - and he apparently did so by chewing unlit cigarettes during his Premiership debut.

The new boss got his brand of football known as 'Sarri-ball' off to a winning start at Huddersfield's Kirklees Stadium, as goals from N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Pedro earned three points for the West London club, but it wasn't just the action on the pitch which proved notable.

Sarri was spotted on numerous occasions during his career in Italy smoking in stadiums, or on the sidelines, such as the clip below where he lit up in the company of two bodyguards.

When Sarri's Napoli team played RB Leipzig in a European tie, the German club set up a specially designed smoking room for him, though this won't be possible during his tenure at Chelsea.

Maybe it's time to invest in some nicotine patches, Maurizio?

Comment: Maybe it's time to acknowledge that we live in a totalitarian hell?

Reader Comments

mutthead52 · 2018-08-15T22:21:17Z

Smoking kills--both the perp and the innocent bystander. That is overwhelmingly proven fact. The regulation of persons endangering the health of others (e.g. toxic waste disposers, heavy metal disposers, garbage dumpers on public lands) is not considered "totalitarianism". Further, to most non-smokers in the vicinity, smoking stench--cigar, cigarette or pipe, tobacco or cannabis--is as unpleasant as sewer stench (the regulation of which in inhabited areas is not deemed "totalitarianism". Laura smokes. Fine. Her right. But this special pleading defending smoking over and over again only serves to discredit this website's other excellent positions.

Ivar · 2018-08-15T23:48:10Z

mutthead52 I have never heard anyone complain about me smoking natural tobacco. Pipe smoking usually gets me compliments. However if your in someones face I get it, but outside on a football field... c'mon..

flashgordonv · 2018-08-16T05:35:03Z

mutthead52 Sorry mutthead, but you are displaying your bias and it is unpleasant. Contray to your declaration, it is not an overwhelmingly proven fact that smoking kills, its just that you have been brainwashed to believe that. tell me, how many studies have you actually read on the subject, and analysed? I'd guess none. I have spent countless hours tracking down these supposedly gold plated studies and the closer I look the more obvious it becomes that there is very little truth to it. Sure, smoking is not for some people, but for many others it is a pleasant and beneficial past time. This article here [Link] for example acknowledges that many smokers do not get COPD. And this article documents the huge issues in the science of anti-smoking. You seems to have made your mind up, so you probably won't read either of these articles, with either an open or a closed mind. But still, it is not as open and shut a case as you seem to thing.

The epidemic of junk science in tobacco smoking research

Over the last few months, I have been following up on the many claims made by the Tobacco Control Lobby regarding the dangerous effects of tobacco smoking. My investigations led me to the...

Joan · 2018-08-16T01:55:15Z

Hmm.... The irony of an authoritarian society It's OK to drink beer, to eat processed food and snacks that are on offer, smoke a bit of weed, but your are dammed to hell and back if you smoke cigarettes.

Guess I must live in the village of the dammed, but you know, I like this village. lot's of friendly banter, focused, know a thing or too about life.

What is the alternative to high dose anxiety for non smokers, well...psycho- pharma

give me a smoke anyday of the week. I would rather be dammed than live a life as a zombie.