When I arrive at the Modena station, spring seems to pervade this strip of the Po Valley. The sun easily penetrates through clothes, causing quite a few problems for those who, like me, have left the house in winter clothes, subdued by the early hours of dawn and by temperatures that are anything but mild.
The decision last second to attend the Braglia it forced me into a rather tortuous path, meticulously exploiting the regional trains and their joints. Once again the slowness of the journey gives me the opportunity to appreciate the journey, although by now I know the vast majority of Italian railways better than my pockets. Or at least those mainstream.
Although I have already set foot in the Modena facility twice, I have never had the opportunity to attend a race of the Detective stories. Yes, it seems strange to say, but in previous times I’ve come here for a Carpi-Roma and an Italy-Estonia. A pity, considering that the Modenese ultras are still part of the historical supporters of our panorama. A curve that despite the ups and downs, despite a transition period after the Gialloblù Brigades and Curva Sud, has slowly managed to get up again – perhaps also thanks to the restart among the amateurs a few years ago – and put a curve-maker back on its feet, which moreover still seems to be on the rise. The return to B has given the category back an excellent level curve, which in these three-quarters of the championship has been characterized by excellent external presences and, above all, by a renewed vitality in comparison with the historical rivals.
Modena is the classic provincial capital of Emilia. Rich in art and culture. Tidy and well-maintained in its elegant historic centre, where on Saturday morning hundreds of people flock to go for a walk and go shopping, as well as those sitting in bars with a nice aperitif in front of them and the Ghirlandina majestically watching over the magnificent Duomo. Perhaps it won’t be the flourishing times of the past, but the city is certainly holding up well from an economic point of view, perfectly giving the idea of that noble province where living and working is still pleasant and on a human scale. A city that, however, holds back its “peasant” soul with its nails and teeth, the one that doesn’t let you fall into the frenzy and metropolitan stress. And that allows you to partially keep popular traditions and folklore alive.
Modena is one of the oldest clubs in our football, having been founded in 1912 and having taken part in the top division on thirteen occasions. To which must be added the fifteen participations in the First Division of the championship not yet in a single group. A partnership that often appears in the almanacs relating to the dawn of our national sport and which, despite having known the shame of amateurism and several years of Serie C, obviously holds the unconditional love of the city and of a province that largely has no never turned his back on his capital, as evidenced by the large representation of patches and banners present in the curve.
Without wanting to delve into issues that I obviously don’t know, as mentioned above, as an outsider I had the perception that in recent years all the groups in the South have struggled to find a balance, which is obvious when historical groups dissolve and we find ourselves from the begining. Furthermore, Modena cannot count on the basin of the metropolis and revitalizing the ultras block, capable of doing well inside and outside the stadium, is a very difficult work, even considering the times of prohibition and sinister repression that are going on. Surely those who attend stadiums a little understand how much thinking minds and an important desire to restore prestige to a square that historically has never been a health walk for anyone behind the Emilian organized fans. After all, I remember an old AS Roma Ultras fanzine – the 2002-2003 season – in which, in view of the first trip to Braglia in decades, in addition to speaking well of the people of Modena, people were also invited not to face the trip as if it were a picnic, just to due to the anything but soft hospitality that the canaries would have reserved for the Giallorossi. For the record: on that occasion there were incidents between the two fans.
Going back to today, 1,723 Pisans are expected in the shadow of the Ghirlandina. A large number that strengthens the security service, also by virtue of the old rivalry between the two factions. The yellow and blue freshman is not disfiguring in the championship at all, settling close to the playoff area and moving towards a relatively quiet salvation. First fundamental step after the rebirth from below a few years ago and the heart-pounding promotion that took place last year against the hated Reggio neighbors. In the end, 10,202 spectators will register, with the fiefdom of local fans almost sold out.
Even before the kick-off, the two groups of fans “pinching” each other with different chants, while as the two teams from Modena and Pisa enter the field, they warm up their engines and begin to support their respective jerseys. In reality, there is very little to say about the Tuscans, being one of those tried-and-true realities, able to always offer an excellent level test. The continuous waving of the banners, the hands raised, the choruses answering and the rhythmic support from the beating of the drum, are the Nerazzurri’s trademark. After so many years of eating toadstools, playing low-level championships and seeing clubs without a tradition pass by, Pisa football has been reaping its fruits for some years now also on a sporting level. The playoff final lost in a daring way last year against Monza for many is not a point of arrival, but the beginning of a cycle that in the long run could give back to the city of the Leaning Tower that top category that has now been missing for more than thirty ‘years. And let me say that in terms of the public it would be a more than deserved return, as well as an added value for a Serie A that too often has been left without great fans, making room for clubs with no fixed abode and with a meager following.
And certainly history, tradition and attachment to the city are something that even the hosts do not lack. Indelible in my mind are the countless flags and banners affixed to the windows of the city on 2 June 2001, a few hours before the last day of Serie B against Salernitana. A match that saw the canaries celebrate their return to the top category, sending into raptures an audience that only a few years earlier was floundering in Serie C and who managed the double jump in two seasons. It was from that celebration of colours, from those gaudy pennants and banners even inside bars and shops that I understood how important the popular passion for football was in Modena. And it’s also something I found today. A faith evidently not affected even by years of anonymity and collapses.
The Curva Sud is presented in full force, with all the current signs in place. A hard core that has finally made a square, concentrating all the essence of cheering in its historic temple. That of the Geminiani is certainly a progressive reality, which is growing and which has probably found the right inertia to get into gear. This can also be understood from the cheering, which perhaps in some passages will not be perfect and powerful, but which must be acknowledged to always stick to good levels, managing from time to time to involve everyone present and raise the decibels in an important way. Very beautiful some waving flags and discreet the two scarves performed during the ninety minutes. Absolutely promoted compared to the last time I had the opportunity to see them, in Viterbo. A sign of that growth mentioned above, daughter of a movement that has had an excellent generational turnover and that from now to the next few years can truly establish itself firmly on the Via Emilia and beyond.
The satisfactions for the Gialloblù also come from the field, where a goal by Strizzolo allows Modena to return to success and not stray too far from the playoff train. A victory that was welcomed by the ovation of the stadium, busy applauding the team and encouraging them in view of the next match in Palermo. Support also for Pisa, which however remains in the upper areas of the standings and allows its own players supporter to dream of a new attempt to climb to the top division.
The “third time” between the two fans is noteworthy, as the field is now cleared of players and insiders, teasing each other with insults and teasing. Of note, among the home ranks, the presence of the Biris Norte of Seville and Messina.
When the stadium has now emptied I too remove the disturbance, putting away my camera in view of the second match of the day in Bologna, where Lazio will be on stage. Two realities with which the people of Modena certainly don’t have excellent relations and against which, in the course of their history, they have recorded quite significant episodes of typhus (and not only). I mentally snap the last photo at the Braglia, one of the most beautiful and comfortable facilities in our football. And I carry the feelings of this day inside me. This is the house of detective stories, I understood it today as I savored a very different climate compared to my previous experiences. This is the heart of Modena and the place where the yellow and blue colors fully reflect the faith of its followers.
Simone Meloni