'You support Roma for the emotions!' An interview with French football journalist Johann Crochet

Crochet, 32, has supported the Giallorossi for a number of years. He has written for the likes of Goal and Eurosport, and now hosts a French podcast dedicated to Italian football.

Hello Johann, you've been covering Italian football for a while now - but how did you become an AS Roma fan?

When I was little, I had the chance to travel a lot in Italy with my parents, I loved the country. And, at the time, there were all those fake football jerseys on sale in the streets. So I started to learn about Italian football. When we watched French TV, we saw mainly clubs with French players: Juventus, Inter ... but not Roma. And, during the 1998 World Cup, I discovered Luigi Di Biagio who was playing at Roma. I started then to get interested in this club.

"I fell in love with the club the day I saw Roma play, I was seduced by the colours, the jersey, the full stadium all the time... In fact, it's a mix of everything, the tifosi, the style of football, the players who spent all their career at the club. Anyway, you do not support Roma for the trophies, but you know that you will live incredible emotions! This is the endearing side of the club, it's almost romantic."

And today, you are a freelance journalist specializing in Italian football?

Yes, I decided to become a freelance journalist because with my previous job, I couldn’t spend enough time on projects that I wanted to do and especially my weekly podcast ('Calcio e pepe'). It is divided into two or three parts, including one chosen by fans on the Internet, and we go through the news about Italian football.

"So, for example, the other week there was a focus on Kevin Strootman going to Marseille. After that, obviously, we talked about the matches of the weekend because it is especially what interests people who want to watch Serie A, but don’t have pay TV. We try to have guests on the show regularly, who are linked to Italian football and who speak French."

Is it possible to be a fan of Roma on the one hand, and write about Italian football on the other?

Being a Roma supporter does not prevent me from doing my job, objectively. When Roma can be criticised, I do it too; when you have to congratulate the team, I do it too! People on Twitter know that I'm a supporter of Roma in disguise (!) but I have never had to question my objectivity as a journalist when it was necessary to speak of Roma and other Italian clubs.

"Moreover when I worked at Eurosport, between 2011 and 2013, on Italian football, many people thought that I was supporting Juve, Milan, or Inter! It's pretty funny, but I guess it meant that I did my job well!"

Okay, so objectively, what did you think of the transfer window of Roma?

"I stayed pretty pragmatic on that. It hurts to see Nainggolan and Strootman go. But we must take into consideration Roma's place right now. Roma is a 91-year-old institution, but they have won only three Scudetti. Roma can not make a transfer window like Juve, strenghening the team and keeping veterans. It's a bit like Dortmund, they have a certain economic model to preserve.

"When you are Roma, can you really refuse a offer more than 60 million + bonus for Alisson? There are still a lot of players who arrived. The main bet is Javier Pastore because we all know his talent but we know he can be fragile. Kluivert, it's cool to have recruited him too."

And what did you think of the arrival of Steven Nzonzi?

"I've not watched too much Spanish football but I've heard a lot about him, of course. His first match against Atalanta was very interesting. This is the kind of change that can give a new face to Roma, which had started the match very badly, but that could come back to the score. Technically, he succeeded and I saw him at ease. He is calm, that's good. And Nzonzi associated with De Rossi, it brings leadership and it allows us to play Pastore as more of a No. 10."

With the departures and the new recruits, do you think Roma will manage to escape from this label of eternal 'Serie A runner-up'?

"Roma have never spent so much on a transfer window, which proves they do not want to sell just to sell, they also want something else. But I think that Juve will win the title. Anyway, today, finishing second or fourth, it does not change much. As a supporter, I prefer to finish fourth and go far in the Champions League rather than second and get eliminated after the first knock-out match!"

We asked you to send us a picture of you and you sent me this one. Can you put me in the context of this photo?

"It was May 28, 2017 at the Olimpico for Totti's farewell at Roma-Genoa. At the same time, I find it beautiful and sad to say that, at 32, I have certainly experienced my strongest football emotion as a supporter. I do not see what could be as strong and emotionally beautiful... even a victory in the Champions League would probably not be so strong!

"It would certainly be a lot of joy and fun but that is something that is apart. Totti was one of the elements that made you have a real sense of belonging at the club, a real sign of identity in the media and around the world. I interviewed Carlos Zampa, Roma's commentator from 1990 to2000, and he told me: 'You are French, you have no Italian family, no previous Romanista affiliation. I have a lot of respect for people like you - and you're far from being the only one - who get to feel that belonging to Roma by being far away and starting from scratch.'

"This is a feeling that is unique to Roma and is probably stronger than elsewhere. This picture was taken after a few tears shed at Totti's farewells, because obviously everything was done for everyone to cry and indeed, in the stands, everyone cried. I was in the middle of people I did not know, who did not have the
same nationality as me, but, with just one look, one word, we understood what everyone felt. In addition to being a bit sad, it was a very nice moment for all the fans. He is still the greatest player in Roma history, the greatest captain, he's my favorite player and I'm glad he's still with the club today!"

What do you think about Roma's group in the UCL?

"It's a balanced group, not as hard on paper as last season, when Roma was drawn with Atlético and Chelsea. But last year, we saw that Roma were also capable to qualify in a strong group.

"The goal is clearly to qualify for the round of 16, and CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen appear easier opponents this year. But let’s be careful. The calendar will be complicated though, since Roma will play Napoli three days after welcoming CSKA, and then will host Inter three days after the match against Real at the Olimpico.

"Di Francesco's management of his team, which was a success last season, will be more difficult. But with new players joining during summer, he may have more solutions to rotate his players. To continue to progress and attract good players, it is essential for Roma to qualify for the round of 16, and after that, we know that everything is possible, as we saw last season."

How do you see Real Madrid this year without Cristiano Ronaldo?

"There is a big question mark with Real after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. The fact that it is a group that has won so much and has not recruited much over the summer, is also a question mark for me. On paper, it seems obviously very difficult to beat them, because Real still seems to be on another level compared to many clubs.

"But who could have predicted that Roma would finish first of their group last season, in front of Atlético and Chelsea? No one! So we'll see..."


Follow Johann Crochet on Twitter: @johanncrochetFollow the 'Calcio e pepe' podcast on Twitter: @C alcioepepepod