Bertolucci furious after Darderi match: "Barbine figures". Codacons also intervenes

Former tennis player Paolo Bertolucci lashed out on X in the aftermath of the match between Luciano Darderi and Rafael Jodar at the Internazionali d’Italia, which ended at 2 a.m. amid delays due to rain and suspension due to smoke from fireworks that arrived from the Stadio Olimpico, where the Coppa Italia final between Inter and Lazio was underway. Many spectators abandoned the match before the end.

“The arrogance, superficiality and incompetence of those who govern sport in Italy often expose us to barbaric figures all over the world!” wrote the former Azzurri now Sky commentator, who hopes that a mandatory covered court will soon be imposed on the 1000 tournaments to avoid these problems.

Codacons also intervened on the issue: “What happened yesterday during the Jodar-Darderi match is an international embarrassment that damages the image of Italy and shows how soccer and tennis cannot coexist in Rome. This is affirmed by Codacons, which is demanding refunds in favor of the spectators who, due to the impracticability of the court and the accumulated delays, abandoned the match.”

“After the mess of the Rome-Lazio derby at the same time as the final of the International Tennis Championships and the postponement of the match by order of the Prefect, with consequent appeals and counter-appeals, we witnessed yesterday a new figurehead in mondovision that shows how soccer and tennis, at least in the Capital, cannot coexist peacefully – explains Codacons – The chaos erupted during the Jodar-Darderi match, when smoke bombs and fireworks from the Inter fans present at the Olimpico made the Centrale impassable, zeroing out visibility and sending the electronic refereeing systems into disarray, is unprecedented in tennis and did enormous damage to spectators, players, and Italy’s image in the eyes of the world.”

“Numerous spectators present yesterday at the Central, despite having paid a regular ticket, were forced to leave the match, due to the impracticability of the court and the heavy delays accumulated during the match. Users who, according to Codacons, must now be reimbursed by the organization of the International Tennis Championships in relation to the serious disruptions recorded during the match.”