Stadio Romeo Neri, Rimini Calcio and Vasco Rossi, a common thread has united football and music these days, even if all that glitters and the canonical glass half full is not gold, it always depends from which point of view you look at the story. Since the mayor of Rimini announced with great fanfare that on 2 June the city stadium will host the zero date of the new tour of the famous singer from Modena, the news has monopolized the newspapers and the local public debate. Certainly successful marketing operation for the municipality, close to the imminent summer season, moreover Vasco has always been very close to the city of Rimini where he often spends long periods of preparation in view of his concerts or even just for pure relaxation. The Curva Est during the Rimini-Pontedera match seized the opportunity by displaying a banner in which, paraphrasing a line from a very famous song by Vasco Rossi himself, it once again wanted to draw attention to the old facility for which, by now since time immemorial, they have required coverage for the rest of the sectors beyond the grandstand and a rapprochement of the east side with the field, as in the 80s. Apart from the usual and interested electoral promises, however, nothing concrete has ever been gathered in all these years and that the municipality has declared its intention to allocate 350,000 euros to allow 24,000 people to be accommodated
for this occasion it can only leave everyone a bit perplexed.
And this only with regard to vil money, the purely economic part of the story, because then there would also be a sporting aspect, considering that on 2 June there are still the Serie C playoffs and if Rimini were to participate, with the stadium it will be delivered in advance to the organization for setting up and all the related preparations, if the red and whites were to win the first rounds of the playoffs who should they ask for hospitality from? Doubts and legitimate questions are those of the fans but evidently the needs of that part of the local community that follows football or in any case deem it easily expendable in the name of other and higher interests are not interested in the Municipality.
Returning to today’s match, a minute’s silence was observed before the kick-off for the victims who died at sea in Cutro, in Calabria. From the Tuscan city there are a good twenty grenade supporters positioned in the away sector who stand out for the uninterrupted waving of their flag and for several blows even if, given the distance from the pitch, their chants are not always audible. The grenade fans deserve credit for having tried and even if they couldn’t
count on the large numbers of the noble squares of Tuscany, the piece “Pontedera tifa Pontedera” that they have chosen to represent themselves, to vindicate the honor and pride of cheering for the team of their own city, regardless of mere and vulgar numerical issues.
The Curva Est on the other hand (in which Cattolica’s friends are also present today), at this stage of the season seems to be going through a period of slack in which, after a positive start to the season, it is struggling to find new stimuli, especially in these games with less football appeal or in which there are no marked rivalries to rekindle spirits. Even the formation with the checkered shirt is putting in its own, giving little satisfaction in this period, especially within the friendly walls where, in the second round, they collected very few points but a lot of disappointment towards coach Gaburro and the team, who however, he still remains in the running for access to the playoffs.
Even today’s draw satisfies the guests more than the hosts, so much so that in the 90th minute the Pontedera players will go under the sector to exchange applause with their fans, while for the red and white players there will be only boos.
It should be noted that at the start of the second half, the Granata guests displayed a banner accompanied by a blow-up in memory of two young friends who died prematurely, which was also applauded by the Curva Est. In this part of the stadium, in addition to the banner at the center of the debate, it was A second banner was prepared dedicated to the friends of Samb who failed to pass the sieve and enter the stadium, so it was posted outside the sector.
Gilberto Poggi
