The seventh return day of the southern group of Serie C offers an interesting match between Latina and Catania. The Nerazzurri are fresh from the important victory in Brindisi, while the Etna team drew against Casertana within the friendly walls of the “Cibali”.
The match is played on Ash Wednesday, which in the Roman Catholic rite, since the time of Pope Gregory the Great, who lived between the 6th and 7th centuries BC, begins the period of Lent. The ritual of placing ash on the heads of the faithful is very ancient and dates back to the Middle Ages, as the work attests Lives of saints by the Anglo-Saxon monk Aelfric, written around the year 1000.
If, in Christian symbolism, ashes represent the fleeting nature of everything earthly, in ancient times they were not only associated with the idea of death, but also that of rebirth. Herodotus, a Greek writer of the 5th century BC and father of historiography, handed down to us the myth of the phoenix. For the ancients, this imaginary bird, similar to an eagle, was born and lived for 500 years in Ethiopia, where, at the moment of death, it built a nest in which it burned. The ancients believed that from these ashes another phoenix was born, which first went to Egypt, to be consecrated to the Sun god, then returned to Ethiopia, where it too would live for another 500 years.
Indeed, the sculpture of a phoenix can be observed in a beautiful monument in Catania, Porta Garibaldi, once called Ferdinandea. It was built in 1768, to celebrate the wedding of the sovereign Ferdinand IV of Bourbon with Carolina of Austria. After the unification of Italy its name was changed to celebrate the hero of two worlds. Characterized by a particular two-tone, resulting from the combination of the white stone from the Lentini quarry with the black lava stone of Etna, it is also known for the famous inscription I rise better from the ashes, in Italian “I am reborn more beautiful from the ashes”. This epigraph refers to the destruction suffered by Catania over the centuries, in particular the earthquake of 1693, after which the historic center of the Sicilian city was renovated according to the dictates of late-Baroque architecture.
In one of the many flags waved by the people of Catania present at the “Francioni” you can read this very phrase, which recalls the many rebirths of a city that has always been able to get back on its feet after earthquakes, destruction, looting and, lastly, the bombings that they marked it.
Etna who arrive in the Pontine capital in excellent numbers: around two hundred Rossazzurri supporters populate the guest sector of the Piazzale Prampolini stadium, on an evening in which the home crowd remembers Maurizio Vona, a historic exponent of the Nerazzurri support who unfortunately passed away before the match with Giugliano.
Two banners are dedicated to Maurizio at the start of the match: “Vivere ultras… to live… Maurizio present!” is the message with which the Winged lionWhile “Latinas everywhere… Maurizio with us!” are the words with which even the kids in the stands (Curva Nord side) honor the memory of an ultras whose name represents a milestone in the history of Latin fans, a point of reference for the old and new generations who carry the Nerazzurri colors in the heart.
The “Francioni” evening therefore includes the presence of the hard core of the two fans, both protagonists of excellent support. The Latin people, united in the center of the North, cheered without knowing any pauses during the first half, offering, as usual, lots of slaps and waving the two flags, including the one with the face of the unforgettable Stefanino. The choirs to respond proposed by the boys of Winged lion they are numerous, like when they ask their eleven for a victory or for people to fight. There is no shortage of longer ones. The curve is colored several times by double-pole banners, scarves and flags.
In the away sector, the people from Catania, like those across the street, are the authors of continuous and intense cheering. The people of Etna stand out for their many flags, for the countless two poles and for the various torches that pierce the darkness of a February evening that is too mild in terms of temperatures. Their repeating and long choruses are countless and they are all sung with good power.
On the pitch the two teams are unable to overcome each other. Latina tries above all with Paganini, while Cicerelli, for the guests, tries the home goalkeeper twice.
In the second half the cheering script is the same as in the first half of the game. The people of Catania begin to cheer again, singing the chorus for several minutes “One day suddenly”. In the 51st minute, Latina broke the deadlock with Riccardi, who scored a spectacular goal that gave the Pontini team the lead, today in a white suit. In this second part of the competition the Latins propose many long choruses, including the classic one “With the scarf around his neck”. Both in the home corner and in the away sector, therefore, the support is constant as in the first half, with the Etna people lighting other torches.
On the green surface, Catania tries to grab a draw, but inevitably exposes itself to counterattacks from Latina, who come close to doubling their lead several times. In the 85th minute the Catania team, disappointed with the progress of the match, decided to challenge the team, leaving the sector empty. In the last five minutes of the match the Pontine ultras continued to sing until the final whistle, which sealed a fundamental victory for Latina, who returned to the zone play-off.
Once the match is over, the Nerazzurri player Edoardo Vona, Maurizio’s son, goes under the North to receive the embrace of the boys from the curve. It is a touching moment, which closes an evening dedicated to the memory of a great fan who will never be forgotten in Latina.
Text by AC
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