Sport is passion, always. Football is joy. But Palermo, at this moment, for many, is a reason for life. To believe it, ask Andrea Palazzo, who lives in Bassano del Grappa, in the Veneto region, and has told his story, his experiences and his feelings in view of the final against Padova. On 12 June, Baldini’s rosanero will play Serie B in a stadium that is already seething with passion. Sometimes, you don’t need to be physically present, just be there with your heart. And the fan in question had to miss all the away games in the playoffs due to health problems.
But now, back in shape, he can’t wait to be at Euganeo in Padua to support the pink and the black: “I had a health problem and on May 2nd I was hospitalized in Bassano del Grappa. I followed the race in Trieste from a hospital bed. For me it was a double pain. All my friends of the ‘Rosanero Unnegghiè’ group, of which I belong, were at the stadium and I was no longer in the skin “.
Andrea then told an anecdote about the episode of Floriano’s goal: “When he scored I cheered like a madman in the room and the other patients asked me which game I was following. The convalescence – he added – forced me to look at all the others. challenges on tv. But now I’m ready for Padua, I’ve already done the ticket“. A special fan, who loves unconditionally and goes beyond the obstacle. Now he is healed and is ready to support Palermo for the first leg of the playoff final.
Andrea Palazzo then recounted his best away games, adding particular and amusing anecdotes: “It was 11 December 1983 and the rosanero were in Serie B. Palermo scored at the last minute with a goal from De Biasi on Maio’s assist. ball hit me on the head, I was with my father and many laughed. My father was there for me, he doesn’t follow football very much. A man behind me said ‘now let’s score’ and so it was. It was an incredible feeling . I remember that action perfectly, within 10 seconds what a fan had said came true. “
Then the magnificent experience of the Coppa Italia final against Inter, which for the Palermo fans represents a sort of historical “relic”, despite the defeat. Andrea was there, too. Travel, trains, long sleeps at the airport: “The trip that I remember with melancholy was certainly the final of the Italian Cup. I was in Bassano del Grappa, I slept in Venice at the airport. It was a physical massacre but it was worth it. There was a pink spot in the sky at the Olimpico. I had already been in Rome at the time of Montella, in the match that ended 1-1 with a goal from Grosso. But back to the final, there was Jovanotti’s song before the match. I don’t know if we will ever be able to relive such an emotion. It was indescribable. I was also in Ascoli, when Di Napoli scored at the last minute. It was Sonetti’s year. And then 15 days later I went Lecce-Palermo. Here we were in a minibus, many hours of travel, a sirocco wind and the awareness of having to go home after a heavy defeat; it ended 3-0 “.
But this is the past, now there is another final to play. Another present, perhaps even more beautiful: “On June 12 there will be, if possible, even more enthusiasm than in the past, because this final was unexpected. I think that no one, even the most optimistic of the fans, could have expected a result from the Just think that we have gone from 4,000 fans to 35,000. It will be a week of passion and warmth, which will involve the whole city. There will also be those who do not follow football. “
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