Curva Express / 9
Fiorentina, Bari, Salernitana ultras face to face...Lecce's thwarted attempt...Como's Pesim Massimi v Borgonovo family...Lazio v Milan pt 1 & 2...Roma v Napoli...Drughi fanzine
Another weekend of ultras talking to their players as they go through difficult times. Fiorentina are still bottom of the league and at the end of another game lost (this time in Bergamo), the players went to talk to their ultras, trying to spur each other on for the remainder of the season. If anything, they need each other’s energy now more than ever.
There was definitely more anger instead directed at Bari’s players as they embarked on a Ryanair flight back to Puglia after losing 5-0 to Empoli. Bari host Pescara this weekend.
The same treatment was directed at Salernitana players after losing miserably 5-1 at Benevento. The away fans sang in unison “we want 11 lions!” as players went to apologize at the fences of the visiting supporters’ section.
Last Sunday, around 3:30 PM in Via Carlo Goldoni, a group of Lecce ultras (all masked and carrying weapons) tried to assault the caravan of vans and buses of Torino fans. Allegedly, several phone calls to 112 (Carabinieri number) prevented the assault as police eventually dispersed fans before the convoy came through the Tangenziale Est. Agents managed to stop five Lecce ultras, although three of them left the scene before they could be arrested. Two instead (35 and 43 years olds respectively) were arrested for wearing helmets and carrying sticks.
Como’s Pesi Massimi stood up displaying the words “Borgonovo one of us” as 17 of them wore a letter each, forming the message in the Tribuna Distinti during their game against Sassuolo. The reason behind this was the fact that last month, Borgonovo’s wife Chantal Guigard and children had officially sent a cease and desist order to the ultra group in order to immediately cease any association with the late centre forward (who died of ALS in 2013) as the heirs seek to regain control of his name. This means that not even the yearly namesake prize (the 13th was awarded to Gabriel Strefezza, now at Olympiacos) will again be able to be named after Borgonovo. In the 9th minute of the game, also Curva Como remembered their club’s legend with chants. Pesi Massimi responded by stating: “We have honoured Stefano Borgonovo’s name at every turn. We did so by unveiling the plaque in the square in front of the Sinigaglia stadium, we brought it to the Teatro Sociale, we displayed it with a banner above the main entrance as a warning to anyone arriving in Como. And we conceived, cultivated, and made the trophy that bears his name, now in its thirteenth edition, prestigious. The aspect that most troubles us is the complete lack of plausible explanations; writing that the reason for seeking a reorganization is to suggest that the Pesi Massimi have usurped the name itself, and frankly, this offends us. Forget about robbing Como fans of the trophy that until last season was dedicated to the most iconic number nine in our history. We will certainly be forced to change its name, but the values that man gave us will live on forever in the memories of longtime fans and in their stories to new generations. You may take his name away from us, but you’ll never actually take Stefano away from us. We ask him not to take it too seriously, at least not him, because for us, the affection we have for him will remain the same. Despite everything. Forever ours”. The Borgonovo family have declined to respond to these comments.
Sampdoria fans again could not travel to La Spezia because of the usual Supporters’ Card restrictions but local ultras spurred their team on with a colourful performance.
Roma ultras welcomed their team on the pitch in the big match against Napoli by quoting Italian artist Jovanotti: “vertigo isn’t fear of falling down, but rather it’s the will to fly…believe!”. As usual, Napoli ultras couldn’t attend the fixture.
If you ever wondered, this is the day their twinning broke up in 1987…
Lazio ultras travelled in good numbers again to the San Siro in the same month (2,200) and displayed another tifo quoting one of their famous chants inspired to Sex Pistols’ “Friggin’ In The Riggin’”: “Saturday (we go) dancing”. Two-sticks showing musical notes were held aloft as the front four respectively showed 1-3-1-2 notes each (smart…). On their side, Milan ultras performance was pretty colourless due the usual restrictions but a few flares were lit up throughout the match. In their fanzine, they also wrote about their recent trip to visit their Belgium “branch” as 300 ultras from Italy joined their counterparts in Nothern Europe in order to celebrate together the 15th anniversary of “Sezione Belgio”. A rumour meanwhile circulated in the Curva Sud during the game – apparently the leading voice of the terrace Marco “Pacio” Pacini could soon be banned despite no apparent reason behind this potential decision from local authorities.
Lazio and Milan met again in the cup on Thursday and the home ultras were at it again. Lazio’s president Claudio Lotito had said: “I don’t know who these guys are, they are hiding behind Lazio fans; I’m showing up my face instead, how about them?” Lazio ultras in all three different areas of the Olimpico were holding aloft banners with the same words on: “In addition to our face, we also put our heart into it!” After 15 minutes of chants directed at Lotito, they then unfurled all their flags and banners and lit white and blue smoke bombs in both Curva Nord and Tribuna Tevere. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was in the stands supporting Lazio amongst other fans.
In the Cesena-Modena derby, local ultras were rather thinking about their closest rivals Rimini who have now been declared bankrupt. A banner read: “it’s better Romagna Centro than going shopping to the city centre for the next six months”. A hint to the fact that teamless Rimini ultras will now spend their time without a team, potentially wondering without a purpose in their town centre. Romagna Centro was supposed to merge with Cesena after the club went bust in 2018.
A Latina ultra has been banned after attempting to climb over the fence after his team’s cup game at Arezzo. The ultra had already been banned in 2015 and he’ll now have to sign at local police HQ before every Latina and Italy’s game for the next five years.
Viareggio ultras have again been banned for the fourth consecutive away game. After missing out matches at Fratres Perignano, Lucca and Fucecchio, they will now also have to avoid showing up in Prato for the game against Zenith. Back in October, skirmishes had erupted during Viareggio away game in Montespertoli and as a result, Florence’s police commissioner had banned 11 black and white ultras, some up to 10 years.
Bologna ultras won’t be travelling to Rome this weekend for their game against Lazio and they’re now at risk of missing out their game at Inter on the 5th January too.
Cosenza ultras are mourning the passing away of the beloved “Zio” (uncle) Armando. Always very active on the community front, he had lost his wife in 2016 and was well known in the local ultra scene. Hundreds of tributes poured in in the last few days to commemorate his passing.
Some nice vids and pics from the “lower” leagues:
PESCARA-PADOVA
VICENZA-LECCO
SAVOIA-VIGOR LAMEZIA (Napoli presence)
Drughi Juventus have published the first issue of their brand new fanzine and it’s downloadable here.