Ultras by Tobias Jones

I have just finished reading this comprehensive book which focuses on the Italian Ultra scene and sheds light on the whole Ultra phenomenon.  


Ultras are often compared to punks, Hell’s Angels, hooligans or the South American Barras Bravas but they are a truly Italian entity.

In the late 60s and early 70s, teenage football fans rebelled against Italy’s sedate supporters’ clubs and went to stand, and sing, behind the goal. 

The word “ultra” implies “extreme”, “beyond” or “other”.  At its foundation, the movement was largely far-left, with names inspired by global partisan struggles. Petty criminals and political extremists were drawn to the terraces’ carnival atmosphere and the huge customer base. Most ultra groups are now fascist in inspiration and many have overlapped with organised crime. 

Ultras are comparable to, but different from, British football hooligans. They relish drinking and fighting, but are much more hierarchical and disciplined, with a sober strategic analysis of the group’s sporting, and economic, interests. Despite their reputation, there are ultra groups that are inspiring, charitable and inclusive.

Italy’s ultras are the most organised and violent fans in European football. 

Many groups have evolved into criminal gangs, involved in ticket touting, drug dealing and murder. The book identifies two of the biggest clubs in Italy as being the main players. The Irriducibili (The Die – Hards) of Lazio and The Drughi (taken from the Droogs of A Clockwork Orange) of Juventus.

In August 2019, the death of Fabrizio Piscitelli, the notorious former boss of Lazio’s Irriducibili, ended a 30-year career of thuggery, crime and extremism . He was nicknamed “Diabolik”, after a cartoon thief and assassin.

A man dressed as a jogger – wearing a cap and neck-scarf – ran past the bench and fired a 7.65 calibre pistol into Piscitelli’s left ear. He died almost instantly, sliding off the bench as the murderer ran off. It had all the hallmarks of a professional hit.

The murder brought to a close one of the most incredible careers in the history of Lazio’s ultras. The club’s fanbase has always been very politicised: during Italy’s “years of lead” (its extremist terrorism) in the 1970s, it was very common to see, among the white-and-sky-blue colours of Lazio supporters, many of Benito Mussolini’s symbols. It was an era in which Lazio Ultras became both victims and perpetrators of political assassinations.

The purist ultras, however, say they are insurgents fighting against a police state and modern football.  Only amongst ultras, they say, can you find belonging, community and a sacred concept of sport.  They champion not only their teams, but their forgotten suburbs.

Telling the story through the ultras, Tobias Jones crafts a compelling investigation into Italian society and its favourite sport. He writes about not just the ultras of some of Italy’s biggest clubs – Juventus, Torino, Lazio, Roma and Genoa -  but also about its lesser known ones from Cosenza and Catania.

The main thread throughout the book is the author going in search of a rounded picture, and Jones immersed himself in the world of the Cosenza ultras of Calabria, chiefly because they were a group that had always rejected fascism. The Cosenza ultras, cheerfully named I Nuclei Sconvolti (The Deranged Nuclei) are a riveting read. With nicknames like Drainpipe, Boozy Suzy, Chill and Skinny Monica they are colourfully portrayed.

But all are eclipsed by Padre Fadele, the monk who takes them all under his wing and encourages them to help immigrants and the homeless in soup kitchens.  He even leads the chanting at most home games. 

While the Cosenza ultras continue to dish out soup, the ‘Ndrangheta (Calabrian mafia) controlled Juve ultras, I Gobbi (the hunchbacks) are busy touting tickets received from the club in a blackmailed fuelled deal, threatening ground closing riots and supporters’ strikes if their demands are not met.

In a sinister nod to neo-fascist politics, the Gobbi banner is inscribed with its Bs back to front, so as to resemble 88, fascist code for HH (Heil Hitler).  

Quite a journey of fandom but a riveting read nonetheless.  

S.P.A.L. on the march

 

I wrote an article last year about the possibility of Crotone getting promoted to Serie A, which they did, and the trend of ‘unfashionable’ clubs earning the right to play against the big boys. Well, it looks like it may happen again this season as one team are currently in the automatic promotion places in Serie B as we approach the business end once again.

S.P.A.L. 2013, better known as Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (or simply SPAL) are based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna. They have played there home matches since 1928 at Stadio Paolo Mazza, named after Paolo Mazza (chairman of the club from 1946 to 1977).

The club was founded in 1907 as Circolo Ars et Labor by the Salesian priest Pietro Acerbis, then was renamed in 1913 as Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor.

They are the club that gave legendary Italian coach Fabio Capello his first taste of professional football at the tender age of 18 during a halcyon period when the club had a regular place in the top flight of Italian football. Under the stewardship of President Paolo Mazza, the Biancazzurri finished fifth in Serie A in the 1959-60 season and contested the Italian cup final in 1962 narrowly losing 2-1 to Napoli, having crushed Juventus 4-1 in the semi-final.

Former players reads like a who’s who of Italian football - Edy Reja, Carlo Mazzone, Osvaldo Bagnoli, Armando Picchi, Ottavio Bianchi and Luigi Del Neri have all plyed their trade with the Biancazzurri.

Reja and Capello were an intrinsic part of the team’s midfield during the mid sixties and both were later honoured for their achievements at the club’s centenary celebrations in 2007.  Bianchi was the man who brought Maradona to Napoli and centre-half Carlo Mazzone coached Ascoli, Roma and Brescia.  Osvaldo Bagnoli on the other hand, will forever be remembered as the tactician who masterminded the glorious 1985 scudetto winning team from Verona , the last time a provincial side got their hands on Italian football’s biggest prize.
 

Stadio Paolo Mazza

 

 

But as the 1970’s began, SPAL’s fortunes took a turn for the worse and the club suffered successive relegations to find itself cut adrift in the barren wastelands of Serie C.  Towards the end of the decade and Mazza’s reign at the helm, SPAL managed to claw back up to Serie B but by the start of the eighties it had returned to the lower reaches where it has stayed ever since, apart from an all too brief return to Serie B in 1992. By now financial mismanagement was starting to catch up with the club from Ferrara and in 2005 it was declared bankrupt.

The saviour came in the shape of businessman Gianfranco Tomasi and the club was renamed SPAL1907. By the time of their centenary in 2007, the club’s very existence was again in jeopardy and as former players returned to Ferrara to mark the special occasion, it served as a harsh reminder to their loyal followers of just how much the club had given to the game in Italy and just how bad things had become.

In the summer of 2012, after suffering a second bankruptcy, the club was refounded for the third time as Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Real S.P.A.L. and would begin life in Serie D.

In July 2013, SPAL merged with the other local club in Ferrara, Giacomense, owned by the Colombarini family.

The new team, born from the merger, was named S.P.A.L 2013, with the Colombarini’s transferring the structure of Giacomense to SPAL with Walter Mattioli stepping in as the new club president.

Under the new management, the Biancazurri quickly found their feet and, with two promotions in three seasons, they restored the football pride in the city of Ferrara as new ambitions arise with fans already dreaming big.

Coach Leonardo Semplici enjoys an attacking brand of football and, along with President Mattioli, has stated that the club’s strategy doesn’t involve big spending, but rather developing certain ideas and programs to make a competitive team with a humble identity that relies on, above all, teamwork.

Promotion from Lego Pro was secured last season and the club’s first campaign in Serie B for over 25 years was meant to be one of consolidation.  Little did they know that, with goals from ex Leeds man Mirco Antenucci, Milan loanee Gianmarco Zigoni and veteran ex Lazio man Sergio Floccari then the dream may well become a reality.

The Anglo Italian Cup

The Checkatrade Trophy has taken its fair share of stick this season, and rightly so. But another tournament caused a stir a few decades ago and was kindly put out of its misery.

The initial Anglo-Italian Cup was played as an annual tournament from 1970 to 1973. The first final was abandoned early due to violence, with Swindon Town declared the winners. During its time the tournament had a reputation for violence between fans, but it returned as a semi-professional tournament from 1976 before it was abolished again in 1986.

In 1992, the Anglo-Italian Cup was re-established as a professional cup for second tier clubs - it replaced the English Full Members Cup.  Strictly professional, and open to clubs from Serie B in Italy and the Endsleigh Insurance Football League in England, the competition reverted back to its original name and format. 

Scheduled to be played throughout the domestic season, it felt like a proper cup competition.  This version of the Cup ran for four seasons, until 1996, before being discontinued due to fixture congestion.

 

 

 

 

It did have a certain romance about it (on paper at least), no other club competition in the world could throw together potential couples such as; Pisa v Middlesborough, Portsmouth v Fiorentina, and Blackpool v Verona.

Following a slightly odd English-only preliminary round, the traditional fixtures between two groups of four, an English semi-final, Italian semi-final and Anglo-Italian final, March 27, 1993, saw Derby County outclassed by Cremonese at Wembley Stadium. An impressive crowd of 37,024 saw the Italians prevail 3-1. The Anglo-Italian Cup was back.

In one of his last games before leaving for Barcelona, George Hagi helped Brescia dispose of Notts County in the 1993-94 final. In front of just over 17,000 fans at Wembley, under half of the previous year’s attendance, interest appeared to be waning again.

While attendance figures were down, more worryingly, the number of headlines reporting Anglo-Italian crowd violence was up. With the Hillsborough disaster and the tragic events at Heysel painfully fresh in the memory, crowd control and crowd behaviour were under scrutiny. Away from the cameras and spotlight of top-flight fixtures, too many fans were using the Anglo-Italian Cup as an excuse to release some pent upanger and aggression. Also hampering the competitions existence, were a number of clubs complaining at the number of fixtures.

In what was a second to last throw of the Anglo-Italian dice, Notts County went one better in 1994-95, defeating an Ascoli side including Oliver Bierhoff, 2-1.


The Anglo-Italian cup took its final bow in 1995-96. Genoa triumphed 5-2 in a Wembley final against Port Vale while the group stages had thrown up some truly unique match-ups in which both Brescia and Salernitana won on a cold and wet night in Stoke, Southend Utd went as far south as Salernitana, Ipswich Town rolled back the European glory years as they hosted Reggiana, and Luton Town were thrashed by Perugia and Genoa. It was nonsensical, naughty, and yet oddly captivating.

AC Ancona - For the fans

There were smiles all round in the port city of Ancona in Italy as the cities football team, A.C. Ancona became become the first professional Italian football club to be owned and managed by its supporters.  Their 2-0 win against Pisa, in the Lega Pro, Girone B division on Sunday 31 January 2016, was a celebration of Ancona supporters’ achievement in taking over the running of their club.

Highlights of the victory over Pisa are here - 
http://sportube.tv/play?titolo=Ancona---Pisa-2-0%2C-20%5EGiornata-Girone-B&id=17139&cat=106&sez=9

In Italian football circles it has been no secret that financial strife is an unfortunate fact of life for clubs in the lower reaches of the football system.  A growing number of supporters need a grasp of the financial and management aspects of football in these modern times.  The story of how Ancona emerged from a crisis in 2010, when the owner of the club failed to meet the financial licensing criteria of Lega Serie B and abandoned the club, leaving it facing extinction, to becoming supporter owned is an inspiring one.

The age-old tale of mismanagement, lack of vision, short-term financial planning, and a growing disconnect between clubs and communities often makes it easy to forget what attracts people to the game in the first place, what makes football so special. Passion.  A sense of belonging, ownership and collective participation. 90% of clubs never win any silverware, but that does not dampen the fervour with which their supporters follow them - football , to them, is about more than what happens over 90 minutes each weekend, or even over the course of a season.

The Ancona story proves this beyond doubt.  The size and significance of the crisis should not be underestimated, and for a time during that long summer of 2010 it seemed that the story of the Marche region’s most historic club was set to end.

In the face of extinction and when all else failed, the Ancona tifosi realised that no one could save their club, their passion, and their ideas - except them.  They mobilised themselves under the slogan ‘passion cannot be relegated’ and they formed Sosteniamolancona (http://www.tuttoancona.com/category/sosteniamolancona/) a democratic organisation committed to the development of a community club with supporters at its heart.   After ensuring the club’s immediate survival, their commitment persuaded local businessman Andrea Marinelli to finance the formation of a new club – U.S. Ancona 1905.

Although forced to restart from Eccellenza (at the time Italian football's sixth tier) it was clear that Ancona’s lowly status would be temporary.  With an average attendance of more than 5,000 supporters (a figure that outshone most Serie B clubs in 2010/11) and the support of thousands more, Ancona began to rise once again; this time not only on the pitch but also off of it.

                                                              Stadio Del Conero, Ancona

During their first year in Eccellenza, Ancona won every competition they entered (the League, the Amateurs Cup, and Regional Cup) but for supporters the most important was moment of that season was an agreement between Sosteniamolancona and the club that gave supporters the opportunity to elect two members on the club board and a ‘golden share’ agreement with key rights attached to it.  These prevented changes to the club's name, colours, crest and home stadium without the permission of Sosteniamolancona and their members.

The early successes continued, and in 2014 Ancona celebrated a return to the professional leagues.  Respect towards the supporters was key to this success: during the 2013-14 season Ancona and Sosteniamolancona had agreed on the removal of barriers between the stands and the pitch and jointly introduced the Centro Relazioni con i Tifozi, a Supporter Liaison Officer-like body that ensures the Ancona supporters enjoy the best football experience both on home and away matchdays, but also during the week.

Slowly but surely the supporters have become the heart of the club once more. David Miani, a lifelong supporter and former President of Sosteniamolancona, became Vice President and Managing Director of the club in 2015 .

Crucially, the project enjoys widespread backing not just amongst the Ancona fanbase, but other stakeholders: the Regione Marche, Provincia di Ancona, and Municipio di Ancona.  The club have also built partnerships within the local community - businesses, social projects and ordinary supporters are all part of a journey that shows no sign of ending yet.

Their successes have also inspired other Italian supporters to follow a similar path: in Taranto, Cava de’ Tirreni, San Benedetto del Tronto and many other proud footballing towns throughout the country, aided by Supporters in Campo (SinC), a national umbrella organisation for democratic supporters’ groups and member-run clubs.

Sosteniamolancona are, for their part, active members of SinC, and the group has many positive experiences to share, both within and outside of Italy.

In November, it was announced that majority owner Andrea Marinelli would gift his shares to the Fondazione Unione Anconitana, a democratic body established by Sosteniamolancona.   In just over five years, the club has emerged from a life-threatening crisis to become Italy’s first professional side to be owned and managed by its supporters - a remarkable achievement. Things aren’t going too badly on the pitch either: biancorossi  are aiming for a play-off spot and promotion to Serie B the goal.

Now, with news of this landmark agreement and assumption of full ownership by the supporters of Ancona, the future seems even brighter not only for the club, but for the entire city and its wider community.  The supporters have, apart from each other, many allies at home and abroad that will help them in the future. Sosteniamolancona are founder members of Supporters in Campo, the national organisation for democratic supporters' trusts and member owned clubs in Italy, who have played a key role in helping to reach this historic agreement.

The whole community can celebrate this exciting new era and look forward to the future. Regardless of what unfolds on the pitch, it will be an occasion where the power of supporter involvement will be clear for all to see .

A Pocketful of Crotone-ite

Over the past few years Serie B has thrown up a few surprises when it comes to promotion, Siena and Chievo have made it to the promised land and last year we had Carpi and Frosinone who had the season of their lives as both sides lasted the pace and, Carpi in particular, left the rest floundering behind.

The 2015/16 season threw up another surprise package and they will be desperate to emulate their illustrious rivals who have made it into the big time before them.

Who I am waffling on about? Well, I am talking about Crotone and they are blazing a path for all the other teams to follow.

FC Crotone is a football club from the town of Crotone, a province in Calabria.   The city was founded c. 710 BC as the Achaean colony of Kroton (Latin: Crotona), it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages until 1928, when its name was changed to Crotone.  The city has a population of around 61,000.

This province of Crotone is also relatively young, only founded in 1992 by separating part of the territory formerly included in the province of Catanzaro, now bordering on southwest, while the Province of Cosenza borders on the northwest.

The football club was founded in 1923 under the name Milone Crotone and participated in several minor leagues including Prima Divisione (later known as Serie C).  Following World War II a new club was formed, Unione Sportiva Crotone and they plied their trade regularly in Serie C.

The team are often nicknamed the Pythagoreans (Pitagorici) named after the famous philosopher and mathematician who lived in the city around c.530 BC and set up a school before moving on.

The team's colours are red and blue (Rossoblu). Home matches are played at the modest 9,631-seater stadium Stadio Ezio Scida, named after an ex player who died in 1946.

Throughout their entire history FC Crotone have led a mostly unremarkable existence as a lower division side.   In 1978, following the Italian football league reorganisation, Crotone was relegated to Serie C2 and the following year was declared bankrupt. A new club, Associazione Sportiva Crotone, begun competing again in the Prima Categoria (eighth division).

The club’s fortunes promised to take a turn for the better under the stewardship of veteran manager Antonello Cuccureddu,.  He was instrumental in guiding Rossoblu to the Serie C1 title and first reaching Serie B in 2000.   Throughout the decade, the team tried to get a toehold in the league but teetered on the brink between the second and the third tier. Since 2009/10 they have regularly competed in Serie B.  

But it appears that the good times could be here at last. Last season they finished 17th, just avoiding a relegation play off to fight to stay in Serie B. New coach, ex player Ivan Juric, has transformed this group of players after taking over from local boy and ex player, Massimo Drago, in the summer. Juric earned his promotion with Crotone and was rewarded by being appointed Genoa manager this summer.

For their inaugural season in Serie A, they will be managed by ex Genoa and Torino manager Davide Nicola.  Odds on favourites for relegation, Rossoblu will need all the team spirit garnered last season to stay in Serie A this time round.

Follow me on Twitter @insearchofluca 

It's good to B back

SERIE B 2015-2016 PREVIEW

Serie B starts this weekend, a week later than ‘Big Brother’.  It has been another topsy turvy summer with clubs being promoted, then being demoted again, before finally being kicked out of the division altogether. Catania suffered that fate this summer after they were demoted for match fixing.  Teramo, who were promoted to Serie B, found themselves being sent back to the third division for the same offence.

Legal action ensued as everyone waited to see who would finally make the 22 strong league but, late last week, the powers that be finally made a decision and announced that Virtus Entella, who were initially due to start life in Lega Pro, were handed a reprieve and the Biancocelesti had there place back in Serie B.

Ascoli, originally runners-up to Teramo in Lega Pro, were declared champions of group B and are promoted after Teramo's relegation to make up the 22 teams. It is a remarkable return for the Bianconeri as the club were only reformed in the 2014 season under the nameAscoli Picchio FC 1898.  They will reacquaint rivalries with Livorno, Pescara, Ternana and Perugia.

Joining these teams will be two sides who were relegated from Serie A last season, Cagliari and Cesena. Parma were due to be the other team but their troubles have been well documented over the past few months.

As well as Ascoli, three sides have been promoted from Lega Pro. The newcomers are Novara, Salernitana and Como.

A host of clubs will be hoping to go one better this season after missing out on the Play Offs last time around. Hopes will be high for Vicenza, Spezia, Perugia, Pescara and Avellino.

Modena have a new coach in Serie A legend Hernan Crespo. All eyes will be on the Gialloblu as the Argentinian takes his first steps into management.  He follows in a line of former players cutting their managerial teeth in the lower leagues. Notable former players are –Attilio Tesser (Avellino) (ex Udinese who played with Zico, Davide Nicola (Bari), Mark Iuliano (Latina), Christian Panucci (Livorno) and Massimo Oddo at Pescara.  There are plenty of winners amongst those names and they will all be desperately striving to achieve promotion.  It will make for a fascinating season.

Elsewhere in Serie B, the division will be the testing ground for an innovative officiating tool that will serve to reward players for actions that promote fair play: the green card - designed to encourage good sportsmanship and rid the game of cheating.

Referees will begin this weekend awarding players green cards for a number of different deeds, which includes but are not limited to “conspicuous acts of sportsmanship” and other “acts of virtue” on the field of play. The rationale behind this new initiative is to offer a positive incentive, rather than only that of discipline, and hopefully entice players to treat the game with a greater level of respect. The green card will form another option along with the typical yellow and red cards for Serie B officials

The new card came as a response to UEFA’s request to implement a rewards system for play that represents the moral ideals of the game, particularly among youth and development leagues in the European game.

Being rewarded a green card is more of a symbolic act than yellow and red cards, but those that receive one will be noted among the official’s match report at the end of the game.

The opening weekend of fixtures are listed below, and I will be doing a weekly round up of the action right here. 

 Saturday - Cesena v Brescia


 Sunday     Ascoli v Virtus Entella

                Bari v Spezia

                Livorno v Pescara

                Modena v Vicenza

                Novara v Latina

                Perugia v Como

                Pro Vercelli v Virtus Lanciano

                Salernitana v Avellino 

                Trapani v Ternana

Monday      Cagliari v Crotone

                Grazie....
                
                        

The Rise of Carpi FC 1909

Football outside of the top flight is usually where you can find some real ‘diehard’ supporters, the supporters who follow their club through thick and thin, and more often than not, they rarely get anything back in return. Occasionally though, you find success stories, miracles even, and Italy has seen a few small clubs reach the top and gain promotion to Serie A. In this millennia Chievo, Siena and Sassuolo have all taken on Serie A’s elite and enjoyed success. This year another small club is on the verge of making history. That club is Carpi, and at the time of writing they sit 14 points clear at the top of Serie B, with one hand firmly on the title.

Carpi is a town which sits about 20km north of Modena in Emilia Romagna and has around 70,000 inhabitants. The club was founded in the summer of 1909 by local student Adolfo Fanconi as Jucunditas(Latin for "gaiety") before being renamed Associazione Calcio Carpi a few years later. Carpi played between Serie C and Serie D for much of their early history before folding in 2000 following relegation to Serie D and subsequent bankruptcy.

A new club, named Calcio Carpi, was formed and admitted to the non-professional category of Eccellenza Emilia–Romagna. In 2002, following promotion back to Serie D and a merger with the second team of the city, Dorando Pietri Carpi, the club were renamed Carpi FC 1909 and eventually worked their way up toLega Pro Prima Divisione in 2010-11. This rejuvenation showed no signs of slowing down and during the 2012/13 season, the team was promoted to Serie B for the first time in their history. It was the club's third promotion in just four seasons.

Carpi FC is owned by three people, Stefano Bonacini and Claudio Caliumi (who both own a share of 35.83%), and the club's President Roberto Marani who holds a 28.33% share. Bonacini, a knitwear industrialist with the “Gaudi” brand, is the CEO. It was he who merged the two Serie D teams and started the Biancorossi’s (White and Red’s) resurgence. 

But the club has scant resources. According to Carpi’s most recent available financial statements taken from the season that ended on June 30th, 2013, the clubs turnover was recorded at €3.15 million while the cost of players was €1.82 million. This sum accounted mainly for the player’s salaries, though the budget closed with a loss of €516. Recently, head coach, Fabrizio Castori, claimed the budget had been cut further “The team's budget this year has gone down, we are at less than €3 million,”

These are derisory sums in footballing terms and this is mainly due to their stadium – the Stadio Sandro Cabassi. Although it is a multi-purpose arena the capacity is only 4,144. This season Carpi’s average attendance has been a paltry 2,600 and questions remain over whether the ground will be a viable home next season in Serie A. This won’t dissuade the clubs Ultras however, (the Irriducibili) who will follow the club no matter where they play.

This is a team with virtually no footballing tradition but their current fairy-tale has seen Carpi become the major force in the city, and one of the most successful in the region of Emilia Romagna. This season they have encountered their bigger city rivals Modena and regional giants Bologna, a former great of Serie A. In the head to heads, Carpi are unbeaten against their so called more prestigious rivals. In a region famous for its cuisine, the pecking order is being re-shuffled.

"There's something different in the air, we can smell it clearly," said Carpi defender Simone Romagnoli. Modena is the thriving capital of the eponymous province, a city of 185,000 inhabitants with a ceaseless engine rumble as background music in the home of Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. The great Enzo Ferrari, founder of the most famous Italian brand in the world, was born in Modena -- as was the late opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.

But the Biancorossi are beginning to put the provinces small commune on people’s radars. The feel good factor is spreading throughout the town. "I'm very proud to have Carpi at the top of Serie B, the team from the city I manage," said 37-year-old local mayor Alberto Bellelli.

"Never forget that in 2012 we were struck by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake and all of us, 70,000 people together, have overcome it. Someone defined Carpi football club a miracle" he added. Belelli is right, considering their modest means, the rise of this club is nothing short of incredible. 

But it appears not everyone in Italian football is as enthusiastic about the Carpi story. Recently, a phone conversation involving Lazio president, Claudio Lotito, was leaked by Italian press in which Lotito claimed Carpi's promotion would hurt Serie A's TV revenue. The Carpi hierarchy quickly hit back, condemning such sentiments 

“Carpi F.C. 1909 read, with disbelief and indignation, the conversation which was reported this morning by the media, supported by a sound clip which is apparently original and authentic published on the homepage of the official website of one of the leading national newspapers [La Repubblica],” a statement from the club declared.

“If confirmed, the words of the legal representative of the top flight clubs appear, apart from anything else, totally inappropriate, out of place and offensive to the dignity and integrity of the club as well as the players, technical staff and coaches.”

“Perhaps it’s also true, as we read in the media, that some people 'don’t even know Carpi exists'. But like it or not, we do exist.” Those in charge need not worry, the Biancorossi look as though they will have ample time to introduce themselves to Serie A’s elite next season.

Against the odds this small-town team is on the verge of making history. Many will view their prospects in Serie A as bleak but they can draw inspiration from their regional rivals Sassuolo, who have rubbed shoulders with the best Italy has to offer for two seasons now. Given Parma’s financial malaise and their imminent slide into Serie B, next term Carpi and Sassuolo will be vying for supremacy in Emilia Romagna. And who knows, just like the Neroverdi, this time next year Carpi could be ruffling the feathers of a few Serie A giants themselves.

@insearchofluca

Pro Vercelli – One of Calcio’s First Giants

Vercelli is an Italian city in the northern region of Piedmont. With a population of only 47,000, it is one of Italy’s smaller cities and of the oldest urban sites in Northern Italy. Extending along the river Sesia from Monte Rosa to the River Po, like most towns in Italy, it is home to a football club - Pro Vercelli. If you are not studied in the history of Italian football, then you may not have come across the Leoni however they were one of Calcio’s first giants. You could say Italy’s first Juventus.

 Pro Vercelli have won seven Scudetti, all between the years of 1908 to 1922. To put this into context, that is four more than AS Roma (3) and 5 more than SS Lazio (2) and Napoli (2).

The story began in 1892, when a club was formed by a local P.E teacher called Domenico Luppi. This new venture went by the name of Società Ginnastica Pro Vercelli (Pro Vercelli Gymnastics Society), initially specialising in gymnastics and fencing. Eleven years later, in local fencer and high school student Marcello Bertinetti – himself a future double Olympic Gold medallist – returned to Vercelli after watching Juventus and formedU.S Pro Vercelli Calcio. The newly born club then embarked on an incredible journey.

 The team played their first official match on the 3rd August 1903 againstForza e Constanza but it wasn’t until the following year that they truly forged an identity. Originally, Pro Vercelli’s colours were black and white stripes, like Juventus. However the players soon grew weary of having to repaint the stripes on their shirts after they repeatedly faded in the wash, and thus, the simple solution was to play in all-white tops and black shorts.

 A month later, in a friendly game, Vercelli’s famous ‘Midfield Line of Wonders’ made its debut: Pietro Leone, Giuseppe Milano, and future team captain Guido Ara. They had arrived at the Leoni at the same time as Bertinetti and when asked by the club executives why they wanted to form a football team, Ara responded, “To become champions of Italy.” At the time this statement was mocked by the powers that be but nobody could have envisaged the golden era which lay ahead.

 Ara was considered by many as the first superstar of Italian football. Renowned for his dribbling and exquisite passing, he earned the nickname ‘L’elegante Guido (Guido the Elegant). He also spearheaded Vercelli’s physical approach and once claimed “Calcio is not for little girls”, a comment reflecting the archaic times.

 However Pro Vercelli were ahead of their time in terms of training and their sessions were unique. They were the first Italian team to set up modern coaching and conditioning regimes. The team was made up of young, middle class players and they were able to train more intensely and frequently than the older players at other clubs. Set pieces were practiced daily and a style of play based on possession was encouraged rather than long ball tactics. Their superior fitness and physicality made them close to indomitable and this earned them the nickname, the Leoni (Lions).

 The club rose through the Italian ‘subdivisions’, reaching the national league in 1907. Despite reaching the top division, Vercelli were still an amateur club and no players were paid. Playing for the joy of the game, they won the National title at their first attempt. Between 1908 and 1913 they won five titles until Inter spoiled that run with their first Scudetto in 1909-10. It was one of the great injustices in Italian footballing history.

The Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; F.I.G.C.) decided to change the rules to allow a play-off after the two teams had finished on equal points. Even though Vercelli had scored more goals, the FIGC were keen to organise this pioneering championship play-off.  A date was chosen in which several Vercelli players were committed to playing in the Queens Cup, a military tournament in Rome. Vercelli protested but their protestations fell on deaf ears. The match went ahead and Vercelli fielded their fourth team – a team of children and young teenagers, the eldest being 15-years-old. Incredibly the youngsters managed to score three goals however Inter ran out winners, 10-3.

 Following this, Vercelli were initially banned from football but this ruling was overturned after Ara and his brother cycled around the major clubs in Italy gathering signatures for a petition against the FIGC’s decision. This perceived injustice only served to motivate the Leoni and it didn’t take them long to regain their title. They remained undefeated for the next three seasons, capturing three titles in a row between the years of 1910 and 1913.

 After such a fruitful beginning, Pro Vercelli had to wait until 1920–21 to win another championship. In 1921–22, after a row over the structure of the Italian league competition, the FIGC split, with all the major teams forming the independent Italian Football Confederation (C.C.I.). Pro Vercelli joined the CCI league and it was within this league that the Piedmont club won their seventh and last title.

 As the game became more professional, Vercelli’s decline began. The small Piedmont town could not compete with their richer adversaries from the big cities. Ara left in 1926 to manage Como before briefly returning between 1932 and 1934. But he would soon be gone for good after he went to manage Fiorentina, Roma, AC Milan and Genoa. The Bianche Casacche (White Shirts) survived in the top flight until the 1934-35 season when they were eventually relegated to Serie B.

 It is worth mentioning some of other notable players who played significant roles in the Leoni’s success. These include goalkeeper Giuseppe Cavanna, who was in Italy’s triumphant 1934 World Cup squad, midfielder Teobaldo Depetrini, who was successful at Juventus and most famous of all, Silvio Piola. Between 1929 and 1934, Piola scored 51 goals in 127 appearances for Vercelli and eventually signed for SS Lazio for a record fee. A World Cup winner with Italy in 1938, he remains the all-time top scorer in Serie A with 274 goals. Louis Bozino was Vercelli’s owner during Piola’s heyday and recognising the importance of the World Cup winner he once stated “We will never sell Piola, not for all the gold in the world. Once we sell him, the decline of Pro Vercelli will begin.”

 No-one could have predicted the decline would be terminal. Relegations followed and the club continued to struggle, dropping as low as Serie Dduring a period in which the glory days became an increasingly distant memory.

 

In 2006, Pro Vercelli had a crosstown rival in the form of a new team, A.S. Pro Belvedere Vercelli (who played in yellow and green). This team was born due to a merger between A.S. Trino Calcio (who played in Serie D) and amateur league team P.G.S. Pro Belvedere. Pro Vercelli began to struggle financially and due to large debts, in 2010-11 they were unable to enter the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. After over 100 years, Italy’s first giants disappeared.

Following the collapse of U.S. Pro Vercelli Calcio a new club has come to the fore. Football Club Pro Vercelli 1892 officially started in 2010 and with their birth, the traditions and honours of the great Pro Vercelli have been saved.

@insearchofluca