It’s certainly one of them. Nessun Dorma was an inspired musical choice for the BBC’s coverage of the 1990 World Cup, pushing the drama and excitement of football upmarket by comparing it to opera. Suddenly it didn’t seem so rough and threatening. The other reason was the Taylor Report which, post-Hillsborough, recommended safer (and more expensive) all-seater stadia. Then there was the success of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch which made it okay for a nice Cambridge English graduate to be obsessed with football. And finally there was the gentrification of areas like Islington and Fulham which meant that the areas’ newer, more affluent residents walk to games at Arsenal or Chelsea. All this happened in the early 90s and meant that football was never the same again. I wonder who its more recent enthusiasts were supporting the other night. England because they’re English or Italy because they love Puccini and have a house in Tuscany.
