When, after the winning penalty scored by Maxime Lopez, I abandon the Franks to reach Villa Costanza and wait for the bus to Rome, I come across a crowd of jubilant cars and scooters. Everyone honking, with scarves and flags clearly visible. For someone who doesn’t know the times and events of football it might seem like the celebration of a title, of a great victory, but instead Fiorentina “only” beat Bologna from eleven metres, gaining access to the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. For some it could be childish provincialism, stupid euphoria on the part of those who are not used to winning even a quarter of the most bitter competition in Europe. Likely. But for me it is a sign of how much passion and love flow in the veins of the Viola fans towards their team and their colours. It’s exciting, yes. This shouting from the rooftops about the happiness of having won a “little match”. And it is the salt of this sport. Which still makes me smile and hope every now and then. Especially if applied to the, to say the least, plasticized world of Serie A. It is the sensation that draws the line between fans that I can still look at with a “human” eye and others that I now see only and exclusively as influencers, tiktokers or offshoots of the business in which they were incorporated.
The Apennine Derby is always an event which attracts the attention of those who look at cheering and its facets with a certain interest. Historical rivalry, which became bitter to say the least and felt after the well-known events of June 1989, when a convoy with Bolognese fans on board became the object of some Molotov cocktails thrown by Tuscan supporters, leading to the wounding and subsequent very serious burns of Ivan Dall ‘Oil. A real watershed, which made the relations between two groups of fans who were already divided by significant acrimony at the time incandescent. Clearly today the turbulent wake of this challenge is much more difficult to grasp, but in the DNA of the respective fans there remains a sense of intolerance, which is easily understood when setting foot on the steps of the facility designed by Nervi, where the Emilians enter shouting the first insults towards the Fiesole Curve.
Speaking of the system: the stadium issue is the one that takes center stage in the Florentine house. The upcoming restyling works of Franks they will force the club to play its internal matches elsewhere. Yes, but where? With a few months left until the end of the championship, it is still unclear. Certainly at the moment the tracks of Cesena and Empoli have been excluded, just as other regional locations do not seem to be taken into consideration: you just need to think about it and think about the conditions the major Tuscan facilities are in to understand that this road is not viable. Furthermore, compared to the times in which the Gigliati played their home matches in Perugia or Pistoia (in 1989/1990 they played the UEFA Cup and Serie A matches there respectively), today there is “obviously” a whole series of problems relating to public order and security issues which would categorically prevent the exploitation of certain locations. Commisso’s club – obviously poisoned with the municipal council which did not allow them to build their own stadium – does not seem to willingly accept the evolution of facts, so much so that the banner was put up in various areas of the stadium #whereplayfiorentina?
Consideration: when popular pricing policies are opted for, stadiums almost always end up full. Rhetorical question: why? The answer is from the over twenty-five thousand who crowded the stands, demonstrating how much of the disaffection of Italian fans is also due to the prices which are, to say the least, shocking. And be careful: I do not want to stigmatize the policy of high prices in relation to obsolete and dilapidated facilities, because this would mean justifying – in the near future – even more expensive tickets for new and modern stadiums. The entry of fans must be facilitated regardless, as they are the soul and driving force of this sport. The risk of following the Juventus model without warning is clear, although – unfortunately for them – the Juventus people (I’m not talking about the ultras) have lent themselves more to certain experiments, always having a replacement in the stands. A support that the Agnelli wanted to make become “tourist” rather than rooted and for which today they are paying so much for the consequences in terms of the environment, that they had to (fortunately) take at least a partial step back in the crazy repression that occurred against organized support . The fact is that all too many times “modernity” rhymes with “erasure of traditions and identity”. We must therefore be careful and not give rise and credibility to all those who “the important thing is to win, then they can also put a wild boar on the coat of arms and the curves can also sit and remain silent”. In Italy we have a bad habit of closing the stable when the horses have bolted!
In this sense The work of the ultras will also be important and, in general, of curveioli, on the younger generations. An attention that, for example, the Fiesole he never denied having and which today he wanted to underline in his fanzine. Furthermore, I have said several times that organized Florentine support is on the rise and has regained much of its luster for some time now. Just as I have already underlined in the past the large number of kids who gravitate towards purple groups. This is fundamental for expanding stadium culture and ensuring that in the coming years that “tourist” fan mentioned above, but also the “nerd” one – who instead of breaking a flag pole after a decisive goal scored in the 90th minute despairs for losing at Fantasy Football -, not only do they not catch on, but they are also mocked and marginalized by the stadiums. In the year of the fiftieth anniversary of the lily cheer, the ultras have perhaps collected most of the efforts, demonstrating how they have been able to unite many old and new souls of cheer across the board, just look at the three matches dedicated to the five decades with banners and insignia reported in full. Without controversy and without conflicts. Something truly unthinkable among most Italian fans. The state of health is also measured by this, as well as by current events, which tells us of an active and mangy ultras contingent, both inside and outside the stands.
Returning to the challenge this evening: even on the guest front the attendance data is more than remarkable, with around two thousand coupons sold. In this first part of the season Bologna has performed well and in the shadow of the Two Towers more than one hopes to be able to return to play in a semi-final of the Italian Cup, after many years of anonymous championships and a few appearances in the lower division. The elements to witness a beautiful evening of cheering are therefore all there. We start with the classic scarf of Fiesole, which to the tune of “Canzone Viola” always produces a nice effect, colored by torches and smoke bombs here and there. Nice wall of scarves also in the guest sector, where the people from Bologna begin to grind cheering aided by a couple of drums and coordinated by the groups all positioned in the “cheese” segment to my left, while in the one on the right some pieces are positioned which seem to reference to members or former militants in the area Mods.
I want to do a consideration purely on the Emilian typhoid: overall they will not disfigure at all, singing for all 120′ and beyond. I always have the feeling, however, that partly due to internal disputes, partly due to the truly dispersive size of theAndrea Costa, the people of Bologna always have more difficulty than they should in involving everyone present. And we are talking about a public that, in my opinion, is perhaps among the most loyal and passionate in Italy when it comes to home matches. In recent years, the North away team has also managed to improve in terms of quantity and in my opinion, with the human material available, it would be important to do a job of total involvement. However, today’s good performance remains, characterized by flags always flying in the wind and by a second scarf, at the end, very dense and really successful.
As for Fiesole, a growing performance. Given that I wish the Viola fans one thing: the construction of a covering that would help them infinitely in cheering. It really penalizes their sector too much and often, even when they are all singing, you can perceive the enormous effort on the part of the choir casters in coordinating all the souls. The presence of different groups and therefore different megaphones ready to rebuke those who don’t open their mouths, the flags and the torches, encourage us to do better and better. Furthermore, the choral repertoire is very appreciable which, unlike many other great curves, still rests on a traditional structure. Special mention for the choir created on “Stella Stai” by Umberto Tozzi, eighties stuff that can only do good both for the kids forced to sing it and for a national repertoire of aseptic and homologated choirs often advertised by the various directors. The second scarf shown before extra time is very beautiful here too. In both cases the food for thought they offer with their example is: that’s fine total black, but we continue to wear a scarf, just so we don’t forget where we come from. There will be a happy medium between three scarves tied on the head, arm and waist and one worn with dignity around the neck, or not?
On the field, as mentioned, in the end the Tuscans came out on top, reaching Atalanta in the semi-final, in what has now become almost a classic for this competition. On the banks of the Arno we dream of the second final in a row, with the hope of returning to lift a trophy that has been missing for twenty-three years and which would soothe the two very painful defeats suffered last year at the hands of Inter and West Ham . Applause and thanks also for Bologna, who disheartenedly brought their fans to the ground. Two historic places of our football, which have written memorable pages both in the stands and on the pitch and which, regardless of any like or dislike, every now and then it is nice to see arrive in the final stages of an event.
This is the last snapshot I have of the evening. I leave behind the Franks and its stands, reaching the cold and desolate Villa Costanza where, after a couple of hours in the freezing cold, I will board the bus for Rome. Already aware of what the attack of this piece would be. Because today more than ever, emotions are transmitted by those who know how to value what they have and their dreams. Certainly not greedy and serial winners or, even worse, statistics calculators and pathetic couch masturbators in front of the finals of the Spanish Super Cup or the derby of Premier League!
Simone Meloni
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2024-01-16 17:39:53
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