A match deeply felt by the two fans who have never loved each other, even in the era of prehistoric ultras the acrimony between the two factions has always been palpable, increased by the different friendships, often transversal and opposing, which have caused tense relationships. In the recent past the trend has absolutely not changed and a separate work could be written on the different situations that have occurred in recent seasons.
So it started with a red circle but it was a truncated game given that the home team, with a statement prior to the match, declared that it did not want to set foot in theArena Garibaldi given the recent episodes which caused significant problems during the entry of the fans. Now in Pisa the situation has degenerated, the ultras are asking for a greater capacity, a higher number of turnstiles and better management during the entry and sorting phases of the fans.
The curve is the driving force of the protest but also a slice of steps is associated as a sign of that unity of intent that moves from afar, starting from the “Pisa does not bend” initiative which saw not only the curve but the city on the battlefield entire and today, when the hatchet needs to be unearthed, the various entities of the Nerazzurri support find themselves participating and in agreement as is rarely seen in other latitudes, where the different way of understanding the stadium and experiencing the match creates those unpleasant disagreements within the fans that only harm them.
Home fans who nevertheless find themselves under the curve to greet the arrival of the team bus, then it is the turn of a well-attended city procession which parades through the streets complete with flags, torches and smoke bombs, creating color and amazement among the unaware tourists who always populate Piazza dei Miracoli and its surroundings. The most enthusiastic, needless to say, are the Japanese tourists who, with an avalanche of smiles and those dazed eye sockets, leave aside the photos of the Leaning Tower for a few minutes to concentrate on that parade of people who cannot fail to attract their attention.
The away fans instead prepared the trip down to the smallest detail, pulverizing the tickets at their disposal. Coaches and private vehicles were organised, but the bulk of the Railway curve travel by train: the route is decidedly short and comfortable and in the end the via ferrata is taken by storm. Trenitalia evidently snubs the event and at La Spezia station the fans fill the carriages at their disposal, in subsequent stations other carriages will be added with the consequence of the inevitable delay on the route. It would be worth thinking back to the introduction of the very old and expensive special trains which were used more than once by fans to move in large numbers, the Santa Lucia tunnel massacre in 1999 which caused the death of four young fans from Salerno and a series of injured, decreed their end but as often happens in Italy especially when the fans are involved, certain decisions are made on the gut, on the emotional wave of the event that happened without properly evaluating the significance of such decisions. Positions that in the medium to long term inevitably turn out to be wrong.
Train of Ligurian fans arriving a little late at the Pisa San Rossore station, the police in anti-riot gear are preparing near platform 2 to contain the numerous fans and lead them onto the buses waiting at the exit but the train arrives on platform three which is on the opposite side of the station, the first fans to get off notice that there are very few police forces and the most daring attempt a solo sortie. The surprise effect lasts a few seconds, the police reorganize themselves, intercept the fans who are accompanied to the buses for the short journey from station to stadium.
Inside the stadium the situation is unusual to say the least, the Curva Nord is practically deserted, we can assert without fear of contradiction that the empty seats are far greater than those occupied, a sign that the ultras’ protest involved a large portion of fans, who gave up on the match despite the latter playing a leading role in the team’s progress.
Minute of contemplation for Gigi Riva, there are those who wanted to spread a good amount of mud on the issue by blaming the behavior of the fans who were guilty of not showing respect to the person, the truth, as often happens, is not the one described by the information mainstream who can’t wait to add fuel to the fire. In fact, towards the end of the minute’s silence, some insults came from the steps towards the host sector, playing on the total silence that was reigning, obviously some other people responded in kind but it was a small number of people silenced by the ultras from La Spezia, who had already informed those present to avoid offensive chants towards fans who were not present on the steps. A despicable gesture at best but truly carried out by a small circle of people, evidently a bit excited given the stakes and the rivalry. It seems to me that the same severity of judgment was not used for the boos, which were numerous and easily audible, in Riyadh for the same minute of silence during the Italian Super Cup final between Napoli and Inter: evidently when you sell yourself body and soul you have neither the strength nor the possibility to criticize those who do not respect your choice. With money you can buy everything, even the dignity and partial justification of the different Arab culture seemed more like the classic climbing on mirrors: on certain occasions you have to be realistic and tell things as they are, that is, they pay, they decide, they demand. You just have to obey and avoid what could create bad mood and disturbance.
Once the minute of contemplation among the most talked about on Sunday has passed, the cheering also begins: in the Nerazzurri stands some chants are launched, not bad at all but it’s a flash in the pan; It’s difficult if not impossible to replace the ultras so it all ends after a few minutes, enough time to offend your rivals and then you can go back to enjoying the match.
A completely different pace in the away sector where the La Spezia players are a steamroller and for a good hour of the match they manage to involve a large part of the sector in supporting the team, obtaining an excellent response, with the cheering continuing unabated and with decibels rising they lift without too many problems. Perhaps more could have been done in terms of color, a flag waved in the center of the curve is all that is offered, accompanied by a couple of torches that are lit clandestinely, although the use of good old scarves at least partially compensates for this gap .
Towards the end of the match, with the result in the balance and with Pisa firmly in the opponent’s half, the eagles’ support drops a bit, the tension is cut into slices so support rests only on the hard core. Spezia manages to snatch three unexpected points, at the end of the match the team heads towards the away sector for mutual applause, there is time to give a worthy salute to the Savona twins present with lots of rags and then the only choir rises who mocks his opponents. Inevitable given the progress of the race, the stakes and the existing rivalry.
Valerio Poli
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