2026 World Cup: Riccardo Cucchi Doesn’t Go Easy on Daniele Adani
Veteran RAI journalist Riccardo Cucchi, in an interview with fanpage.it, commented on public television’s coverage of the World Cup in North America, not holding back on some criticism. “With few exceptions, the necessary and appropriate criticism of the World Cup in North America was lacking. I believe Marco Tardelli was, above all, the only one who had the courage to speak his mind. He criticized Infantino, for example, when he gave in to American pressure and lifted the suspension of a U.S. player. He was the only one to express his disappointment with great clarity.”
As for RAI commentator Daniele Adani, who often delivers over-the-top commentary and has been heavily criticized on social media, Cucchi had this to say: “It’s a bit embarrassing for me to answer, because I worked in that field for 40 years, and nine years after retiring, I don’t feel comfortable taking the high ground and criticizing my colleagues. Every era has its own commentators. I lived through an era when sports commentary was the domain of Ameri and Ciotti on the radio, Bruno Pizzul on television, and before them, Nando Martellini and Nicolò Carosio.”
“But I can’t make a direct comparison between different eras, just as I would never compare Maradona and Messi. They’re two different worlds. Does today’s audience like Adani? If they do, it means he’s found the right way to commentate for this era. If they don’t, perhaps he should engage in some self-criticism.”
“I’d level just two criticisms at Adani—personal ones, tied to my own perspective on soccer commentary,” Cucchi continued. “The first: I don’t like shouting. Ever. That goes for anyone—radio or TV commentators. The second concerns a risk: that of setting oneself up as a soccer expert. I’ve worked with Bruno Pizzul and Sandro Ciotti. Both were former soccer players. They could have used their technical knowledge to explain soccer from a high-and-mighty perspective, but they never did. They understood that their role wasn’t to teach viewers or listeners. It was to accompany their emotions. A commentator shouldn’t be a professor at Coverciano.”
Cucchi has no doubts about who was the best face of Rai during this World Cup: “Stefano Bizzotto. In my opinion, he’s Rai’s best sports commentator. He’s the one who, more than anyone else, has been able to bridge the old Rai and the new Rai. He has great expertise, great style, and a deep understanding of the subjects. He’s covered soccer, the Olympics, and many different sports, and he’s never been caught unprepared. His preparation is extraordinary: he leaves nothing to chance.”
