Being president on Instagram

New digital frontiers, also in the sector of "protests against sports institutions". Interview with Steven Zhang, president of Inter, who harshly attacks the president of the League Paolo Dal Pino, calling him a "clown", complete with the addition of emojis! The fury of the #1 of the Nerazzurri was unleashed on social media and more specifically in the Instagram stories of the president's personal account.

Playing around the calendar and always putting the public health as a secondary consideration. You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen. #24hours #48hours? #7days? And what else? What's your next step? And now you speak about sportsmanship & fair competition? How about we don't protect our players or coaches and ask them to play for you 24/7 none stop? Yes, I'm speaking at you. Our Lega President #PaoloDalPino! #ShameOnYou. It's time to stand up and take your responsibility! This is what we do in 2020! Everybody around the world, doesn't matter if you are Inter fan or Juve Fan or no fan at all. Please be safe! This is the most important thing for you, your family and our society.

The expression "Hard words of a really strange man" that made Kent Brockman famous can be transformed into "Hard words said in a really strange way". Zhang's impetus and anger know no brakes and probably no way. Entrusting such an important message of protest to a story - beyond the terms used - is not a significant damage not only for a Serie A president but above all for the team he represents. An avoidable fall of style, probably gathering anger and putting it black on white through an official release with fashion and form. One of the best tweets of the moment is "Comunicato is for boomer", underlining how Zhang's harsh words are more an outlet for a 26-year-old boy than a president who is called to face a situation in which he sees the rights of his players and his staff.

Zhang is not new to the use of personal social media in a working key, just as happened in the case of the possible collaboration between his Inter and Palm Angels. On this occasion, however, the story had very negative implications, so much so as to oblige the Figc Public Prosecutor's Office, led by Giuseppe Chinè, to open an investigation.

Italian football has accustomed us to very particular characters of power: Luciano Gaucci, Massimo Cellino, Enrico Preziosi, Maurizio Zamparini, Aurelio De Laurentiis, Massimo Ferrero are only the most visible. Each is characterized by a peculiarity: from the tendency to early exoneration to the exuberance in front of the cameras; from crazy investments to episodes that have now become cult. Since yesterday evening, Steven Zhang also belongs to this list.

At Inter, the attention and the spotlight are on the president. But who is more anachronistic, Marotta who in 2020 still uses television broadcasts to reiterate his ideas or a boy who goes further and ventes himself via social media?