Italian football last week mourned the tragic death of Piermario Morosini, they suspended all of the games and this weekend every ground in Italy held a minutes silence in his honour. It had been just over an hour since that minutes silence in Genoa where the ugly side of Italian football reared its ugly head, again. The home side who are now in a relegation battle were losing 4-0 to Siena and their Ultras decided it was not acceptable for this to be happening. A mass of them broke out of their curva and into the family section which is in the middle of the stands where they proceeded to throw fireworks onto the pitch and as a result had the game had to be stopped.
The trouble did not simply end there, this was but the beginning of an ugly scene. All the players were now effectively being held hostage as the Ultras had blocked the tunnel. They let Siena’s players and staff leave so they could deal with their problem in hand. A Capo of the Ultras was hanging over the stand on the tunnel very angrily shouting his demands at the Genoa captain Marco Rossi. He demanded that all the players take their shirts off and give them to the Ultras as they are not worthy of wearing the clubs colours.
Embarrasment
Rossi walked back to the huddle of prisoners who had congregated in the middle of the pitch in front of the sieged stand where the Ultras had taken reign. By this team even the club’s president on the pitch but nothing was done. Rossi explained what those people wanted and asked for everyone’s shirts. He along with the vast majority of the squad all took their jerseys off and piled them into his arms, it looked like a sacrificial offering to the Gods to spare them their lives. A few players were having none of this, it must be said. Frey was still in his goal arguing/heatedly discussing the situation with masses of people behind the goal screaming at them: “This is my shirt”. Giandomenico Mesto, a midfielder for the cub, was visibly distraught and in tears on another mans shoulder refusing to take his shirt off. He has made over 120 appearances for that club and for sets of “fans” to turn around and show the ultimate level of disrespect to him was sickening.
Protest
I use the term “fans” very loosely as Ultras are a totally separate body to the common fan base of a club in Italy. They are organised sometimes as efficiently as a military soldiers who move and act in unison. The Capo or sometimes Capi (plural of head) of the Ultras groups dictate to their group what to do. They are also very often linked with the club. They go to the owner or president and demand their terms, a kind of ” an offer he can’t refuse” type feel to it all. They don’t pay for their ticket nor travel to away games. They are effectively on the books of the club as “head of club support” or something similar. Their power over clubs in Italy is terrifying yet it is totally normal and just part of the game to Italians.
Ultras
At Genoa their Ultras were winning their impromptu “meeting” with the players who had lost all of their dignity in the process. One loyal servant to the club did bravely voice his opinion to the Capo as Rossi collected his teammates shirts rather sheepishly. Giuseppe Sculli climbed the barriers to where the main set of Ultras were and seemed to be full of emotion a had a lot to say. He pulled the ringleader close to him and would have passionately explained that if the game was suspended as a result the club would receive fines, a possible points deduction and almost certainly be relegated. More importantly he would have highlighted the fact that he along with many others in the squad have been there for years doing their very best for them (the “fans”) and the club. The Capo who up until this point seemed fearless, sinister and highly aggressive seemed lost for words and backed down after this exchange of emotions. Not only had Sculli played for the club for a total of six seasons, he also did talk a lot of sense and probably deep down the Capo knew he was right but a point that stands out most is that Sculli is potentially more dangerous than the self claimed leader of the Ultras and all of his men put together. Sculli’s Grandfather just so happens to be the head Boss of Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and one of the most important and feared Bosses in the entire Italian Mafia.
Heated
After the heated exchange Rossi went back and all of the players pulled their shirts out of the pile and put them back on. Siena players and staff reemerged and the game continued from the point where it was stopped about 35 minutes before. Genoa got a goal back but it was an own-goal and not celebrated at all. The fans joint together and swayed side to side with their back to goal during the remainder of the game as a form of protest. The game finished 4-1 to Siena. The referee and the Siena players would have headed for the exit as soon as possible once that game had finished. A truly hostile atmosphere at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, the next two home games for Genoa will be played behind closed doors as a result. The Ultras problem in Italy continues and I fear that it will not go away as it is woven into the fabric that is calcio.
balotellisbarber 