Gialappa's Band

Gialappa's Band is the name used by Marco Santin (born 11 February 1962 in Milan), Carlo Taranto (b. 16 December 1961 in Milan) and Giorgio Gherarducci (b. 1 November 1963 in Milan), the Italian trio of TV and radio commentators.

Gialappa's members formed in 1985 at the Radio Popolare of Milan, where they launched the show Bar Sport. The show contained satirical commentary on Sunday matches of Italian football Serie A. The trio also commented on the FIFA World Cup, employing large doses of sarcasm and sound effects (smashed glass and car crashes for tackles and fouls, babies crying for injured players, sounds of hammers and saws for medical interventions on pitch...) to emphasize the on-screen actions. Their delivery was hectic and at time chaotic sharpened by hyperbole and zany, sharp, non-sequitur witticisms. The format was very successful and, as of 2006^[update], they have broadcast comments on every football match for the European Championships and World Cups since 1986. Several UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup matches were also commentated during the 1990s.

However, Gialappa's main events remain the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship when they also employ mock national anthems (Sex Pistols' Anarchy in Uk for England, Krautrock tracks for Germany...) and take their uncorrect jokes and blatant rooting for one side over the other to comical extremes. Several editions of the program also featured guests from the same nations as the playing teams. The trio moved from local radios to major private radio Radio Deejay and, later on, to Radio Due. In 2006, Sky Sport offered Gialappa's Band as an alternative live commentary to its official broadcast featuring Fabio Caressa and Giuseppe "Beppe" Bergomi - which coincided with Italy winning that year's World Cup, its first since 1982 and its fourth title overall.

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