Hardy(T)'s World Soccer Diary

22/9/96, Napoli, Italy.
Serie A

Napoli 1 (Caccia)
Piacenza 1 (Luiso)
at the San Paolo Stadium, Napoli.

 

I arrive for my first taste of Serie A soccer after a nightmare journey on the notorious overnight 'train of death' from Brindisi and a morning marvelling at the sights of Pompeii (not Pompey!) Outside the San Paolo I can't make any sense of what's going on ticket sale wise, so I end up paying 45000L to get in, but the seat I get is in an excellent spot: about half-way up the stand behind one of the goals. Unfortunately it also appears to be right in the middle of an Ultras hotbed! The Ultras seem very organised, handing out bags of ticker tape and streamers before the game. I was thus able to read the previous day's English results in Corriere dello Sport rather than tearing it up for ticker tape (for the record, Pompey lost 1-0 at home to Norwich).

 

A huge crowd has assembled well before kick-off and the impressive singing is also underway, urged on by some frantic drumming about 3 rows in front of me. My neighbour implores me 'Forza Napoli' and I nod a lot and make some random noises. This isn't enough for him as he drags me up to stand on my seat... 'FORZA NAPOLI' I sing and this seems to appease him. I'm not really prepared for the eruption of noise, fireworks, crackers, ticker tape and streamers and the Blancoazzuri take the field, but this is nothing compared to the noise made by my neighbour who is now singing 'FORZA NAPOLI' into a loudhailer!!!

 

The game itself is quite an anticlimax after such a furious build up. Napoli, fielding three Brazillians a la Middlesbrough, play some absolutely excellent passing football and deserve to be ahead by more than Caccia's solitary goal at half time. Their cause is not helped by some appalling refreeing decisions - I thought all Italian referees were supposed to 'homers' but, Italian lesson No.27, this one was definitely being referred to as a 'ciuego' by the Ultras. The other useful Italian word I learn today comes when the away goalkeeper steps up to take a goal kick and the Ultras, as one, sing "Whoooaaa-oooaaa-oooaaa. Bas-tar-do!"

 

The rains comes down in the second half, thwarting Napoli in their attempts to play some attractive football. The pitch becomes a quagmire, which suits Piacenza. Their 30 or so fans, outnumbered at least 2:1 by the police guard in the away section of the huge stadium become more and more vocal until, predictably, their side score a soft, late equaliser through Luiso. The Ultras are silenced. I decide it's prudent to make a sharp exit at the final whistle and hurry back on the Metro to catch my train to Rome.

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