Criscitiello, crusade against tennis: "What values does it convey?"

The controversy between tennis and soccer has exploded on social media after the diatribe originated by the concurrence of the Rome-Lazio derby with the men’s final of the Internazionali d’Italia 2026, which forced the Serie A League to bring forward the matches valid for the Champions League sprint to 12 p.m. for public order reasons.

Federertennis President Angelo Binaghi had harshly attacked soccer’s top brass for their disorganization: “If we asked the public today whether tennis or soccer should move, what would they answer? We can’t move the final just because the Serie A calendar was made with the feet by a moron.”

The discussion immediately exploded on social media even after the words of journalist and Sportitalia founder Michele Criscitiello, who lashed out at tennis: “Tennis is living only thanks to the Sinner phenomenon, as happened to skiing with Alberto Tomba and MotoGp with Valentino Rossi, then it is a sport that ends up in oblivion. The president of FITP cannot say that public opinion is more interested in tennis than in soccer.”

“In one and a half days I heard only about the derby, barely 8000 people go to see Sinner. It doesn’t portray anything, once the Sinner effect is over, tennis will go back to being followed by daddy’s boys. But what values does a sport that is suspended for two drops of water convey? Soccer is also played in the snow. Who is Fognini? Who has won?”