“It’s 6.04pm on May 14, 2000, and Lazio are Italian champions”. These are the words spoken by Riccardo Cucchicommentator who reported the second Scudetto in the history of the Lazio. On the occasion of the twenty-fourth anniversary of that success, the journalist spoke to -.it remembering that moment and its emotions. Below are his statements.
“My words for the 2000 Scudetto? I’m realizing it today. I didn’t imagine what I’m experiencing now could happen, and I’m so pleased, especially because the people of Lazio associate the scudetto with my words, at a strange time like 6.04pm on May 14th. After pronouncing those words, if you listen carefully, you may notice a strangled “o”, that of champions, which was the sob that was coming out and that I had kept at bay but it was appearing threateningly, like an incurable Lazio player (laughs). Once the connection ended, I had only one reaction: I cried on the stand, like any fan who enjoys such a wonderful success. I also had the same reaction in the Curva Nord on 12 May ’74, when I experienced that emotion as a fan.”
“It was a singular circumstance that led me to shout that phrase. If it happened it’s because in Perugia there was a delay due to rain. If they had ended at the same time, that sentence would have been uttered by my friend and colleague Bruno Gentili. The day I was designated for Perugia, I imagined what would happen in the event of a miracle, it would be his turn; but fate came to me, allowing me to tell everything that happened next. The sensations? It’s beautiful, it affects me. I go to the stadium as a season ticket holder, among the fans, while I walk along the road to reach my sector I am repeatedly stopped by young boys, by fathers with young children who don’t know who I am, asking me for a selfie. But the best thing is when they stop me with their phone in front of my face, and in Roman dialect they ask me “Cù, tell us again”. I have repeated that phrase thousands of times, and it always makes me happy.”
“When for forty years they ask you what your favorite team is, and you promptly reply that they will only know at the end of my career, it makes you understand the type of orientation I had. The compass was always oriented towards objectivity, without showing any sympathy. The banner of the Inter fans against Empoli was beautiful, I will thank them forever also because I shared the story of Mourinho’s treble. I imagine the surprise of those who thought I was a Roma fan, an Inter fan, a Juventus fan and very few Lazio players, and this gives me satisfaction, because my first objective was to respect the feelings of the fan. While I was talking about Perugia-Juventus I had two things in mind: keeping the volcano that was exploding inside me at bay, and on the other, don’t lose sight of the mood of the Juventus fans.”
