Marco Niro, *Romanzo Mondiale*, GARRINCHA EDIZIONI, Zurich, 2010.
The Slave awaits a visit from the King of Football. To buy the World Cup, he must buy his vote. He knows it is for sale to the highest bidder. And he always knows how to be the highest bidder.
Abuja, 2017. Rashidi is about to leave Nigeria and set off for Petrolia, where labour is needed to build the World Cup stadiums. As a child, he dreamed of playing there, in the stadium. Now he is content just to work there. Little does he know that he will soon become a slave.
Rome, 2021. Rita and Ernesto, failed theatre actors steeped in ideals, want to sabotage the World Cup in Petrolia, stained with the blood of women and workers, and devise a plan centred on the incredible resemblance between Ernesto and the greatest active footballer: the Magician.
Lisbon, 2022. Sentenza, the most prolific footballer of all time, cannot accept his decline and is determined to win the World Cup, the only trophy still missing from his endless list of honours. But even more than that, he hopes that his eternal rival does not win it.
Everyone’s destinies will intersect at the end of the tournament, during the greatest final in history, when every scheme will seek its fulfilment and absolutely nothing will be a foregone conclusion. Because, as we know, the ball is round.
Event organised by the Paganella Libraries
