Roundup: Italian Serie A, goal--line technology, hymn unveiled at Milan Expo

The 2015-16 Serie A fixture list was unveiled on Monday evening here at the Milan world exposition along with the Italian football league's goal-line technology and hymn.

   The new season, which runs from Aug. 22 to May 15 and celebrates the league's 70th birthday, will start with Fiorentina vs AC Milan, Verona vs AS Roma and Juventus vs Udinese. There will be some key matches in the opening weeks, such as AS Roma vs Juventus in the second round and Inter vs AC Milan in the third one.

   A total of 20 teams will compete in the league, with Carpi and Frosinone making their absolute debuts in the top flight, accompanied by newly-promoted Bologna.

   The new season will also see a significant technological innovation, Serie A President Maurizio Beretta said during a ceremony held at the Expo Milano 2015 site, northwest of Milan.

   He explained that Serie A has introduced goal-line technology, a technical means of instantly determining whether or not the whole of the ball has crossed the goal-line.

   The information is transmitted within one second which ensures immediate response from the referee, who receives the signal on his watch. Due to this design there are no stoppages or other forms of interference in the game.

   "This is an innovation that we were waiting for," Italian Referees Association (AIA) President Marcello Nicchi said at the event.

   The goal-line technology, he added, is an important instrument which lightens the responsibility of referees and allows them to better focus on matches.

   Lazio President Claudio Lotito, who took part in the ceremony along with presidents of other teams, highlighted the recent efforts made by Italian football to overcome the match-fixing scandals that have made the headlines for years.

   "Tough regulations have been passed in Italy which will make our football the most transparent in the world," he stressed citing the new requirements of anti-mafia certifications and all kinds of enhanced checks.

   A new hymn that will be played in stadiums before all matches of Serie A was also unveiled. The new hymn, named "O Generosa!", was written by Italian musician Giovanni Allevi and celebrates the noble and pure strength that sporting champions must possess.

   "The hymn is very close to the XVI century Italian madrigal, but then at some point it has a fully contemporary rhythm, while technically it is a polyphonic composition for four voices and orchestra, singing in Latin and in English," Allevi told Xinhua in an interview on the sidelines of the event.

   "I was stupefied by the idea of making many different worlds join together in this piece," he said.

   In fact, Allevi explained to Xinhua, football and music are very close to each other. The G musical note that he has underlined in his hymn is the same musical note naturally sung by football fans when they applaud their beloved team's victory, the musician pointed out.

   Allevi also told Xinhua that he has a predilection for China.

   "I adore China and I am grateful to this country, where I held my first important concerts at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center and with the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing's Forbidden City during the 2008 Olympic Games," he recalled.

   "These are indelible memories in my heart. I am looking forward to visiting China again soon," he said.  Endi