- © Ricardo Stuckert/PR
As Italy attempts political reform, their former Prime Minister is using his role as chairman of AC Milan as a fundamental part of his campaign.
Since the beginning of his political career, football has always been fundamental for Silvio Berlusconi’s strategy.
Berlusconi celebrating the Serie A victory with Gullit and Maldini in 1988
Almost 30 years ago, ‘the Cavalier’ realized that for Italian people football is more than a game. That he could use the country’s greatest passion as a vehicle for power, and he exploited it.
The former Prime Minister is aware that, in order to get votes, people respond to three things: economical promises, with which he constantly fills his public speeches and political program; a massive advertising campaign and finally, a turn of events.
So in January, with less than a month to the elections, he signed Mario Balotelli, wonder and bad boy of Italian football.
The “rotten apple” (as Berlusconi defined the football player a few days before approving the deal with Manchester City) has already proved to be worth the 22 million euros paid, scoring four goals in his first three games.
But certainly, as surprising as it may sound, this could be one of the aces in the hole for the current campaign. Especially in Lombardy, a key region for the election to the Senate.
The signing of football stars suddenly became a window and a useful electoral tool. This is not the first time the Italian politician has used this technique: looking back at AC Milan’s recent history, big signings have always preceded elections.
Mario Balotelli (© Football.ua)
This time Berlusconi has entrusted Balotelli with the chance of a political and personal recovery when he stands with his party, ‘il Popolo della Liberta’ (the People of Freedom).
Polls currently put Berlusconi’s centre-right party behind the center-left alliance, but Balotelli’s arrival reportedly could be the chance to gain up to two percentage points.
Further help could have also been provided to the former Prime Minister.
On Wednesday night AC Milan managed to defeat Barcelona in the final eight of the Champions League, also thanks the advice of its chairman.
The two goals scored by Rossoneri against the Spaniards, and the annihilation of the “best football player in the world”, Lionel Messi, could have helped Berlusconi in the run for what would be his fourth mandate.
As Winston Churchill once said: “Italians lose wars as if they were football matches, and football matches as if they were wars”.
by Niccolò Misul
