Dear football media: Stop asking Antonio Conte about silly season rumours

The football media have the unimaginable opportunity to sit in the same room and speak with Chelsea coach Antonio Conte. They squander their access and Conte’s time by asking him to weigh in on silly season tabloid rumours.

Imagine sitting a few feet away from Antonio Conte. The man has energized Chelsea’s play by perfectly executing a tactical system rarely seen in England. He is one of the great footballing minds of his generation. And he has taken time out of his 18-hour work day to answer any questions you and you colleagues have.

So what do you do? Well, if you are part of the press pool at Conte’s weekly pre-match press conference, you ask him if there is any truth to a transfer rumour that spawned among the tabloids. On either side of that question, you also bottom-feed for a soundbite that you can distort into a “Will Andrea Pirlo reunite with Antonio Conte at Chelsea?” piece of clickbait.

Of course, if you are reading this post, you are not a member of the Chelsea press pool. Like us, you are a fan whose mind bends at the thought of being able to pick Antonio Conte’s brain. You would appreciate the opportunity and the responsibility that comes with having access to Il Sarto. And you sure as Shevchenko would not ask him a gotcha! question.

At Friday’s press conference, ostensibly about Chelsea’s upcoming fixture with West Bromwich Albion, Antonio Conte fielded a question about the Alexis Sanchez rumours.

"I don’t think it’s right to talk about other players of other teams. It’s not right… It’s not right to talk about the players of other teams. It’s a lack of respect for their players, their clubs, my team and my club. – Chelsea FC"

What did you expect him to say? “Yes, we hope to poach him midseason. I’m totally tapping him up right now. Remember that whole Ashley Cole thing? This will be WAY more flagrant!”

Before the Sanchez exchange, the pool asked Conte about Andrea Pirlo’s visit to Stamford Bridge. Conte pointed out that they have a strong relationship from their time in Juventus. He noted that Pirlo brought his son, and that Pirlo is still under contract in Major League Soccer. He left no room for doubt that Pirlo’s visit was social, as if that was not fully obvious.

Dissatisfied at Conte not feeding the soundbite beast first on Pirlo and then on Sanchez, the press looped back to Pirlo. After checking with a member of Chelsea’s PR staff, Conte laughed off the suggestion that Pirlo trained with the squad.

Pro forma press conferences in sports, business or politics ultimately become exercises in vacuity. The media’s standard protocol is to devolve into obsequiousness so as not to lose access. If it is a particularly slow news day or the relationship is already fractious, they will push for the soundbite to ignite a thousand takes.

Either option degrades all parties involved. Antonio Conte has better things to do. You imagine that he could stay up for days discussing tactics, training and football history. He probably also has some pretty unique hobbies and interests that he would talk about at length.