“The world will shake again, we want the squadron back!”. It is the cry of Andrea Costa curve away version in the last ten minutes, when the Bolognese legitimize the 1-3 draw against Roma and begin to seriously feel the taste of a Europe that has been missing for twenty-two years (the last time the Emilians lost the Intertoto final against Fulham, in 2002) and which never seems more feasible than this year, even in its most prestigious version. Regardless of any fan affiliation and any football sympathy, one cannot help but find a certain charm in this Bologna team who – against all odds – have been able to get behind several of the league’s big names and station themselves with surprising consistency in the upper levels. In defiance of clubs that have been planning the Champions League climb for months and, therefore, also in defiance of that entire system that in Europe, perhaps, always wants those five, maximum, six, teams. Not caring about the dreams and joy that such a championship can produce in a place that has been navigating in anonymity for years, with medium/low ranking championships and some relegations to Serie B. The squadron that makes the world tremble it is decades away, faded in the minds of the older ones and seen as myth by the new generations, but incredibly today it reverberates on the red and blue striped shirts and seems to take over the recent destiny of Bologna.
It’s true: in front of us there was a Rome tired by European efforts. It’s true: at a time in the championship in which some of the contenders are busy on multiple fronts, for Thiago Motta’s men the “treasure” represented by the energy saved is something fundamental. But it is equally true that, football-wise, we had to get there, maintaining what is always difficult in our tournament, namely consistency. And frankly it also makes me smile a little who comments on the possible qualification for the Champions League by the Emilians as “a failure for Italian football”. “They will go out in the first round.” Perhaps we have forgotten the years in which almost all the Italian clubs that qualified for the Europa League could not wait to be eliminated, contributing to the decline and debasement of our football. Whether it’s Bologna or another “unconventional” club that takes over the continental stage, for me it’s only a good thing. First of all because it can also contribute to the sporting growth of our championship from the waist down, creating greater internal competitiveness, and then because it gives us an unprecedented path. However, one cannot be certain of its failure. Tradition matters and is rooted in our football, therefore, just as the opening chorus says, those who “know failures and Serie B” at least once in their lives are happy to be able to enjoy some satisfaction. Also because, regardless of the ultras aspect, we are talking about a place with a great passion for sport, just think of the numbers of Dall’Ara and those that accompany Virtus and Fortitudo every year. From an ultras point of view, however, traveling beyond national borders could help the Bologna movement to grow, also from a numerical point of view. This year’s appearances in certain away games – including Rome – have finally undermined years in which Andrea Costa followed their colors with very small ranks, and should act as a symptom of their potential and how important it would be to exploit them and put them together, beyond divisions and frictions.
Coming to today’s match, which is played on Monday at 6.30pm (to allow televisions to broadcast only the Milan Derby, where Inter will seal the title), the Olimpico always responds with an excellent crowd , although we cannot speak of sold out (evidently a few hundred unfortunate people were unable to obtain permits or holidays!). The first “news” of the day is the late entry of the boys positioned on the wall of the Nord guest sector side. A delay due to the delays of the “usual suspects”, including the absolute ban on displaying Palestinian flags with the colors of Roma, which have been displayed in various sectors in recent months. Wanting to be perfidious and ill-thinking, I would ask whether the same attitude would have been taken if the offending flags had not referred to Palestine (to the wise…) or if the flags had simply been of another country. The answer is obvious. Just as – without wanting to divide the world into good and bad, newspapers and television stations are already thinking about this – the choice made by some European fans on this issue appears obvious and easy. Positions from which, on several occasions, we have even allowed ourselves to moralize to third parties. Even from the heights of political correctness of which these fans are the bearers and champions!
Returning to less “thorny” arguments and more close to mere stadium life, as always the scarf on the Roma anthem is very beautiful, colored by torches and smoke bombs lit here and there. During the match, the South offered a mixed performance, certainly the result of the result which after the first 45 minutes saw the guests ahead 0-2 and of the cup evening against Milan, which took away a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I know that these should not be an excuse, but even the ultras – at least in a large part of Italy – are fans and normal people, who are therefore affected by satisfactions and disappointments in a physiological way. The fact is that in the second half Azmoun’s goal rekindles hopes and also the stadium, but an error in the setup phase gives Bologna the third goal, which means three fundamental points. Uncontainable joy in the guest sector, which – as mentioned – sings in all its units at the end, while during the match it stood out for a good performance, with the lower part always active and colourful. Certainly the way in which the visiting fans in Rome have been arranged for some years (long rather than wide) does not help to involve everyone, as well as ruining the glance from an aesthetic point of view (as demonstrated by the only two curves who managed to line up horizontally in Rome: that of Sturm Graz and that of Bayern Munich).
It ends, therefore, with the Emilian celebration but also with the applause of the Roma public, aware that in the most delicate period of the year there is no time for whistling or moaning!
Simone Meloni
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2024-04-30 18:13:10
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