INTER MILAN :: NERAZZURRI

THE CLUB

Address Via Durini, 24 - 20122, Milan
Telephone 0039 02-77151
Website www.inter.it

Massimo Moratti can at long last allow himself a small smile of satisfaction. The son of Angelo, the oil magnate who built 'la grande Inter' in the 1960s, the hapless club president spent 10 years and a king's ransom trying to get Inter on level terms with Milan, but handed over the running of Italy's third best club to Giacinto Facchetti in January 2004 with only the 1998 UEFA Cup to show for his efforts.
Up until the extraordinary events of 2005-06, Facchetti, the legendary full-back who helped win Inter's only two European Cups (in 1964 and 1965), hadn't fared much better, with the elusive scudetto last captured in 1989.

At the end of that 2005-06 campaign, Inter had finished in their customary third place in Serie A, behind Juventus and neighbours Milan. But the subsequent calciopoli scandal saw them elevated to champions after the top two were docked points in the wake of match-fixing allegations.

Any feelings of winning by 'default' were quickly scotched the following season, though, as newly confident Inter defended their title, wrapping the league up by mid-April and ending a whopping 22 points clear of second place Roma.


Prior to that long-awaited success, Inter's fanatical support were especially galled by recent European progress twice being blocked by Milan. An away-goals semi-final defeat in 2003 was bad enough, but then came referee Markus Merk's decision to disallow a perfectly good goal by Esteban Cambiasso with Inter already trailing 3-0 on aggregate in 2004-05's quarter-final first leg. The decision prompted the hardcore Interisti in the Curva Nord to start their own fireworks display on the pitch, hurling flares at the players below; one struck Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder and the match was abandoned.

Inter's fans have previous: in 1983 they rained objects into Real Madrid's penalty area, in 2001 it was Atalanta, in 2003 Alaves and a 2004 derby was also halted temporarily. The large right-wing element among the Interisti - which traditionally claimed much support from the city's well-to-do - have few friends in Italian football, aside from similarly-minded Hellas Verona and Lazio fans.


THE STADIUM
Still known as the San Siro despite being named after one of the few players admired by both sets of fans, the 86,000-capacity Guiseppe Meazza is accessed by buses from the Lotto M1 metro station, 15 minutes from downtown Duomo. Buses stop by the Bar Stadio and the Biglietteria Nord, one of two main ticket offices. Tickets are colour-coded: pricier red and orange along the touchlines, blue for Milan's Curva Sud, green for Inter's Curva Nord.

OFFICIAL: Diego Milito Joins Inter From Genoa
The Argentine has signed a four-year deal with the club...
29 Jun 2009 22:02:45

Striker Diego Milito has finally made his move from Genoa to Inter, as confirmed by the Italian champions' official website.

The deal had been agreed for some time, but was formalised on Monday evening. The Argentine now has a contract at the San Siro until June 2013 and is a welcome addition to the Nerazzurri strike force.

Meanwhile, youngster Robert Acquafresca moves in the opposite direction on a permanent transfer after spending this past season on-loan at Cagliari. The player recently scored three goals at the Under-21 championships in Sweden, but may not be staying with the Grifoni.

The striker wants to be an automatic first choice upfront and is close to securing a likely temporary move to Atalanta.

The 30-year-old Milito was one of the stars of the Rossoblu's successful season as they finished in fifth place, scoring 24 times in Serie A. He finished one goal behind top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he will be teaming up with in 2009-10.

Genoa's Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta is also close to confirming his transfer to Inter. The entire deal for the South American duo is reportedly worth more than €30 million.