3 years and a few months have passed since 19 September 2019, Lazio’s last match in Romania, again against CFR Cluj, but also the last time I did my utmost to write an article for Sport People.
When on that occasion I wrote the last very sad picture on the Romanian football movement, there was indeed a championship now adrift and a senior national team that was slapping everywhere. But at the same time, three months earlier, the Under 21 team had become the protagonist of an excellent European championship in their category, which boded well (although not all) for the generations to come.
A very important alchemy had been created that summer, for the first time I saw Romania united behind the football movement. Sensations and habits for us Italians that are normal, but not so common outside our borders. Probably our passion and our football culture are equal only across the Channel. On the other hand, a certain Winston Churchill eighty years ago had already seen us long when he uttered the famous phrase about Italians, wars and football matches.
The Under 21 national team was followed that summer, certainly helped by the very important Romanian community in Italy, by thousands of people, it is even said (I dare not confirm) that in the semi-final lost against Germany there were 15,000 Romanians present at the From the Ara from Bologna.
The heroes of that tournament were welcomed home on their return with the honors of those who had achieved a sporting feat and many, myself included, hoped in that generation, not only for future successes, but also to bring the Romanian people closer to a sport, which unfortunately has been totally raped in these parts, so as to make people totally fall out of love.
After three years however, I have to say that even the national one was the most classic of flashes in the pan, and unfortunately, more or less, no one has fulfilled the promises of the time. The very promising Ionuț Radu is the one who has arrived the most, and he has certainly not left a positive impression so far: ask the Inter fans in case of further doubts. The others who deserve more than a mention are the “Italians” Pușcaș and Man, now in the quicksand of Serie B for several years, or the unfortunately very pumped up (not his fault) Ianis Hagi, on whom too many expectations have unfortunately been placed because of his very heavy surname. The son of the “King” currently plays for Rangers, but has now disappeared from the radar for more than a year due to an injury, the probable prologue of a career that unfortunately will disappoint expectations. Despite the wishes with all my heart to prove me wrong.
In such a context, I think it doesn’t even make sense to remind you (or make you aware) of how mediocre the Romanian top league is, which among other things has also lost one of its historic participants a few months ago, namely Dinamo Bucharest.
Well they managed to kill one of the major realities of Romanian football, a club that in less than 80 years of existence has brought home 18 national titles and which even reached the semi-finals of the Champions Cup in 1984. Dinamo was killed slowly, indeed, the coup de grace has not even been delivered yet, but it has been left in a coma in the second series, full of debts and far from the home stadium (a separate article should be written on this), even changing three structures this season, in not even twenty total championship days.
Excuse my usual long preamble, indeed, it would be appropriate to call it pippone, but I think it is useful every three years to contextualize the origin of CFR Cluj, now known throughout Europe simply as Cluj.
Yes, because the CFR, through its successes at national level, which led it to compete with prestigious European clubs, has now linked its name to that of its city. Despite, and I’ve written it countless times, it should be said that the most supported team remains Universitatea Cluj, an objective and sunny fact.
I have always considered CFR a neighborhood team in Cluj, one of those teams with a fairly small hard core, which has recorded several sold out over the years only thanks to the host on duty, rather than for the support of the locals. In short, we don’t have to hide behind a finger, people came to see Manchester United or Steaua, rather than cheer on the CFR. This is demonstrated by the fact that when Fiorentina a few years ago played against Pandurii alla Cluj Arenathere were the same spectators who usually attended the Radulescu of Cluj, which is the home of the CFR.
But in a country where football passion does not boil, in which you are not educated as to what to root for from an early age, those 15 years of successes which brought 8 national titles and a few appearances on the great European stages, in a period in which the most a fan of the city alternated too dull championships in the first series with 8 consecutive years in the minor leagues, as in any capitalist context, they lead you to conquer more and more “quotas”, and so the hard core of CFR Cluj has come to grow exponentially.
Many children who grew up in Cluj during the first successful years of the club then led by Pászkány have grown up and ended up in the corner. Just as, in my opinion, many guys who have arrived from outside Cluj in the last 10 years have chosen to follow the team that played in the first series rather than the one that played in the fourth, third or second series. It is a speech that fits and has its own logic.
After several years last October I crossed the threshold of a Romanian stadium for the first time for the derby between the Universitatea and the CFR which had been missing for 8 years now. I didn’t want to do it, but seeing so much fever around me, which hasn’t been breathed in a while, brought me to Cluj Arena without many expectations.
Yet as soon as I entered, I had something of a shock to see the guest quarters totally FULL. The supporters of the railways showed up in 1,500 units, but above all very colorful, with very sharp banners against the neighbors and above all with an excellent vocal performance.
For us Italians, all this in a derby is perfectly normal. And yet gentlemen, the only derby I’ve seen at Universitatea in 10 years was the semi-final of the Romanian Cup in 2015, and in the away sector there were 100 quite shy people and a patch. So you can now understand the reason for my shock upon entering the stadium.
In short, it is clear that the CFR is no longer the simple neighborhood team, but a reality with a much bigger hard core than a few years ago. Despite this, I write this article after having also been present at the return derby played at Radulescu and I don’t want any of it, but the city supremacy of the Universitatea is still blatant, even from an “ultras” point of view. Both for a numerical question (I think the ratio remains 5 to 1), and probably for a matter of tradition and experience. The Universitatea supporters were truly a pleasure to watch in the return derby, despite their team already being 3 goals down after the first half.
But then we come to our game of Conference League, in which the CFR hosted Lazio. The stadium was sold out also because, unlike 3 years ago, the company has well thought of putting tickets at normal prices and not absurd as happened at the time. In fact, three years ago the stadium was empty, with about 7,000 spectators, of which very few were guests, especially those who had come from Rome. But it was precisely a very particular historical period for the Lazio curve.
This time around 500 players from Lazio arrived, a good number in my opinion, above all if one considers that in the period of February the transfers of Europa e Conference League they are not simple. In the event of shift change, there are two trips in a fairly short period of time and often to countries that are not easily accessible. Furthermore, Lazio are usually followed by many foreign sympathizers on their away games in Eastern Europe, while this time I can say without fear of being contradicted that 90% of those present came from Italy. I was pleased to see so many people who are no longer very young in the away sector, while the hot sector clearly had a much lower average age, clearly demonstrated when in the last 20 minutes a large part of the sector remained shirtless and the temperature was 0 degrees. A good performance that of the guests, without infamy or praise. There is, for a game probably not expected with such enthusiasm.
As far as the clubs are concerned, I think the presence of many occasional people was felt, who perhaps help from a visual point of view, but then don’t contribute decisively to the support. Perhaps the initial enthusiasm gave an extra push, but later the interest in the match (although never in the balance) got the better of the vocal performance. They have definitely improved a lot in recent years.
On the pitch, a goalless match, not very bad, sent Lazio forward to the round of 16 Conference Leaguewhere they were later ousted by Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
Text by Alessandro Piccioni
Mihai Medan’s photo
