There are several ways to call certain football teams, in addition to their actual names. In Italy, for example, Fiorentina is also “la Viola”, Roma is “la Magica”, Juventus is “la Vecchia Signora”. These nicknames can derive from particular episodes, from irrefutable facts (the purple shirt of Fiorentina) and from others that are much less so: as in the case of Inter, which is often also called “Pazza Inter”.
It is a name that does not derive from a particular episode and does not have a real origin, a moment from before and after. In his description of Inter as an unpredictable and changeable team, he refers to the improbable results of which Inter’s history is rich. Furthermore, in the early 2000s, in a period in which the team had many ups and downs, the then owner Massimo Moratti decided to make it an anthem, therefore to accept that nickname and in a certain sense “institutionalize” it.
Crazy Interhowever sung by the playersthus became the official anthem along with There is only Inter – written a year earlier by Elio di Elio e le Storie Tese – and its refrain (“Amala, pazza Inter amala…”) accompanied Inter in the most successful period in its recent history, the one that led to the so-called triplet from 2010.
Thirteen years later Inter will return to play in a Champions League final, but this time in a completely unforeseen and unexpected way. This season Inter have never really been in the running for the Scudetto and have lost 11 times in the league (including at home to smaller sides such as Empoli and Monza); yet he will have the possibility of becoming European champion, the most coveted goal of the great clubs of the continent, some of which – such as Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal or Manchester City – have yet to be able to achieve it despite having made enormous investments.
Despite this situation, and despite the fact that Inter have been rather unpredictable as a team in the last two seasons, Crazy Inter it is no longer played at the San Siro nor on other official occasions. The anthem dearest to his fans was in fact shelved, it seems definitively, four years ago, and there was discontent among the fans when it was learned that it would no longer be played on official occasions.
Federico Dimarco, a Milanese who grew up with Inter, sings with the crowd after the victory over Milan in the Champions League (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
This decision by Inter coincided with the arrival of Antonio Conte, the coach chosen by the owners in 2019 to return to winning the Scudetto. At first, some speculated that it had been a request from Conte, a very pragmatic and equally demanding coach who had also long been both player and manager of Juventus, Inter’s biggest rival outside Milan.
Since his presentation as new coach, Conte was also keen to specify that he wanted to reject the “crazy” label that Inter had adopted in previous years. In his presentation video seen by over 300,000 people, when asked if he was ready for the “Pazza Inter” these: «No crazy, no crazy, not anymore». And then he returned to the subject again saying: “Enough talking about madness, Inter will be regular and strong.”
In the second year with Conte, Inter actually won the Scudetto, and before doing so, the coach was keen to specify that there had been no request on his part regarding Crazy Inter. In reality, the company had made other choices, deciding to renew its official songs as part of a general restyling of its image which then also led to the creation of a new emblem, the current one.
Now they play at San Siro I M Intersung by the Inter speaker of San Siro, Mirko Mengozzi, and We are Inter by Eddy Veerus of the Il Pagante group. However, both have yet to take root among the fans, who remain more attached to the two old anthems: one set aside and the other, There is only Interwhich is only played in an abridged version.
In the case of Crazy InterFurthermore, there had already been problems in the past related to its usage rights. Between 2012 and 2014 the club had in fact stopped using the song due to misunderstandings with the author, namely Rosita Celentano, daughter of Adriano, a well-known Inter fan. Celentano was given the task of creating a hymn in 2003 by the then owner Massimo Moratti, who suggested: «I don’t want the usual hymn. Inter are a bit crazy team, I’d like this to come out».
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