Boys 1977 and Centro Coordinamento Parma Clubs published a paper in which they underline their disappointment with the Club for not respecting the summer promises. During a summer meeting in Boys and CCPC asked the Club to be more present, expecially to have a person to relate with, that could be – in good and in bad times – a point of reference. They register a total absence, a part for resuts, an absence of the care and passion. That is why they wrote: SOCIETÀ ASSENTE, DISASTRO EVIDENTE: VOGLIAMO GENTE COMPETENTE (“Club absent, obvious disaster: we want qualified people”)
Saturday 26th november, for the derby match against Modena, Boys Parma 1977 and Centro Coordinamento Parma Clubs ask to all the fan base to fill Tardini half an hour before the match in order to take part, all together, to a massive choreography that will involve the whole stadium.
We remember you that all Boys activity is self-financed and that is possible to support their activity by subscriptions, donations and buying the Group merchandising.
All together we can do great things, together nothing is impossible.
On Russian YouTube channel Nobel a special show dedicated to Gianluigi Buffon was just released. Hundred minutes with interview to him, Sandro Melli and others. Italian subtitles.
Yesterday Marco Ferrari published on his Facebook page a post to show his support for the Team and where he remembers us some truths and that it is in bad times that we use to show the best of us. Because we have never been a “normal” team, so nothing is prevented.
“It is when you are down and all the others think you are dead and laugh at you that the will to get up and fight should rise strongly. We have never been a normal team. Parma is synonymous of bad falls, but also of memorable feats. And it is in worst moments that we often could give the best of us. It is time to find that spirit. We can’t accept any destiny that is not the one we can still write by ourselves. Parma Calcio is a great group, made by strong players, led by a manager that is a stone in the tempest, prepared by a staff that would jump into the flames for Parma and supported by a great President, full of energy, resources, grit and enthusiasm. We need nothing more than this to go to war. And I would not exchage any of this elements with our opponents.
Come on Parma! Ten fights to write another piece of history.
A lightning of Parma glory days memories passes through a just released Dutch publication about the Vitesse European adventure “Vitesse Europa in”, by Ferry Reurink.
Ferry Reurink, journalist and Vitesse historitian, was our guest during past season to collect material and make some interviews about the two matches where Parma and Vitesse were involved in 1994/95 UEFA cup.
The book, full of unreleased pictures and memories, it a testify of a Football era that passed, when staying together was the essence of supporting, when traveling for an European cup match what the chance to discover places, to make friends (sometimes enemies), live adventures.
The Parma chapter has been completed thanks to the contribution of Andy Gardener (author of an english Parma supporters fanzine “One team in Emilia” during 90s), Giuseppe Squarcia (Parma Supporters Liaison Officer and former Boys) and Angelo Manfredini (president of Centro Coordinamento Parma Clubs). Inside you can find some Tardini and Piazza Garibaldi unseen pictures taken by Vitesse supporters.
We would like to thank Ferry for contacting us and for his professionality and kindness and all the Parma Family that, as usual, accept our invitations with an incredible enthusiasm.
Covid emergency measures gives an opportunity for all the abroad fans to take part to the first Parma Calcio online Meet&Greet with Matteo Darmian.
This kind of events were usually organized in the Tardini store, giving the chance to people to take pictures and ask questions to players, but this time all will happen online, on the Zoom platform.
We share the communication of Boys Parma 1977 published on their website and Facebook page. Who is interested in the scarf and can’t contact Boys directly can write us. We will do our best to help:
“THE BOYS TOWARDS 43 YEARS.
Two months have passed since the last trip to Turin. Two months without headquarters, without parts, without aggregation. In the face we have the prospect of remaining for a long period without stages, with a thousand uncertainties as to what it will be like when they reopen, and if we could go back to experiencing them from Ultras as we have always done. The first step will be to reopen the headquarters, return to live and reason from the Group, find the incentives and motivations to survive, try to reach all our activities, those that we will manage a rate anyway, increasing those extra cheering, to get to next year to still have the stimuli and the need to continue to keep the headquarters open. In August there will be 43 years of the boys’ life, 43 years in which the boys became communities, developing belonging to the young Parmigiani and becoming the reference point for all Parma fans. Now it is everyone’s job to remain united, to continue to be a community, not individual fans, to preserve traditions and defend, we remember that what we have earned and where we have come in these years. We will try to organize aggregation moments, as soon as possible, in order to find ourselves again, and not to lose the sense of aggregation and friendship that has been created over the years, cheering together in the Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi.
On May 27th will be the thirty years of our first promotion in Serie A. We had plans to celebrate this day, but unfortunately nothing can be done, it is not the right time. However, we thought of a way to remember the 30 years of the promotion, a day like Vicenza, 4 May 86, Wembley, the Bologna playoff, the bankruptcy, the promotion in Spezia, the days that made our community great.
We decided to make a scarf for May 27, to fix one of the most important days lived by the boys and our city in history, a memory for those who come, despite everything, want to continue to keep our values, our traditions alive and the ideal Ultras of our city: THE BOYS PARMA 1977.
30 YEARS FROM 27TH MAY 1990
This date will always be special for Parma, from more than 30 years it is tattooed in our town history. A day that elevated Parma, his Ultras and his fans to a pure pleasure state, a day that gave us the first memorable promotion in Serie A, that launched us into following 30 years, full of satisfactions, from both ultras and football points of view. A day that gave us the most important trophy, the Ghetto banner, main symbol of hated Reggiana cousin. […] We were in Tardini, not in Wembley, but what Parma lives that 27th may 1990, it was maybe the best day for Boys Parma 1977 in our 43 years.
We decided to celebrate 30 years from 27th may 1990 with a scarf that could honor both conquers and keep those memories alive.
Boys Parma 1977 released a statement today to underline their dislike for a restart of Football with no fans in the stadium. Here is the document that has been singned by Boys and over 350 fans groups in Italy and all around Europe: from Bayern Munich to Juventus Ultras, from Curva Sur Madrid to Sporting Lisbon’s Torcida Verde.
“STOP FOOTBALL WITHOUT FANS
Europe is under Coronavirus attack. Government decided for a total lockdown, taking care of the most precious thing: public health. first target for everyone. So we think it is reasonable a total stop of European Football.
Football governance expressed since the beginning his only intention: RESTART. We are strongly sure that the only ones to step the field would be economical interests and this is confirmed by the fact that the League should have a closed doors restart, without the beating heart of this “popular sport”: FANS.
It reasonable to assume that, once again, money supremacy step up human life importance.
So, we firmly ask to who manage this decisions to keep the stop for football competitions, until fill the stadiums will be again a safe habit with no risks for human health.
Football- system is in a difficult situation, caused to the bad administration of last decades. Bad administration that we always tried to underline with the only target to protect the most beautiful sport in the world.
Nowadays Football is considered more an “industry” than a sport, where the pay-TV keep the control over Clubs throught TV rights letting them pay excessive salary to the players; fomenting the hunger of football agents who’s only target is to fill their bank accounts as much as possible. A system based only on business and personal interests that, if it will not be resized will bring to a only end: THE FOOTBALL DEATH.
We would like to underline that, if Ultras would have the minimum intention to make money on what it is out passion (as we could read on media during last days), we would push for a restart rather than fight for this option not becoming real.
All this have to change. We are ready to discuss with who needed to bring Football to the origin, to go back living our bigger passion firsthand, to let this be again A POPULAR SPORT.”
We translate this article from Gazzetta.it (thanks Mai Stata Storia Facebook page for the hint) because is a must-read, in our opinion. We ask sorry if with our non professional translation is not as accurate as Mario Salvini (that we thanks so much) piece deserves.
”Watching now videos on YouTube, you think it is a pity not have heard from inside Wembley, live, the Carlo Nesti sentence: ‘For the town and for the sporty soul of Parma it came a day it will be difficult to forget’.
In fact we are here, 25 years later [this Salvini’s article was published in 2018]. A picture of that slice of yellow and blue stands and all comes back in mind. Incredulity, more than trepidation. We had to repeat ourselves, that we were there. And that that was Empire Stadium, Wembley. But, more than the rest, that we were there for Parma.
I do know that maybe it could seem sickening what I’m about to describe, so be it!, it was exactly what it happened. While we were waiting I went upstairs, in the middle of the stand. There was a group, young guys like us, together with adults. Maybe fathers and sons. They brought a cutting board and – this was curious – a big knife to cut a salame. They gave a slice to who was passing there. Another man, older, with two wedding rings on the same finger, said thanks, took a slice and said ‘Mo g’pensot? A sema a Wembley’ . Can you believe it? We are in Wembley. ‘I used to go to away games with my wife with a Vespa, in Tortona, in Lodi, in Crema. E adesa sema chi‘. And now we are here.
Here at the Winner’s Cup final . Until three years ago Parma was never been in Serie A. Those that were in the stand holding yellow and blue balloons, in their life, most probably had seen more serie C matches than serie B ones, in Tardini.
In three seasons we lived the promotions to serie A, thanks to a victory in a derby with Reggiana; then Coppa Italia, won beating Juventus in the final. It all seemed too much. Nobody ostensibly could imagine to have a bigger party that that Coppa Italia final. But we were there. I still don’t exactly know how many of us. I read 16.000, or 13.000. I don’t know. We were all there. And it was our celebration. That one, for sure, would be never back. Maybe we didn’t realize it at the moment. But nothing would ever been like in those three days: the celebration of Parma, of our sense of belonging. For someone, many, the celebration of friendship.
Because if a team like Parma goes to an European final it is not the same as for Juve, AC Milan or Inter. We were just Parmesan people, proud as children. Few things could ever unite us like those three days. When is a big Club to go in a final the group of friends splits. Maybe someone, between the finalist’s supporter, decides to go watching the match. Others stay home, many jinxing. We all left to London.
At least on one thing in our life we had no doubt about: Parma AC. And it was not a matter of supporting. It was not important how strong fans we were, how many away matches we attended, or which part of our lifes was devoted to football and Parma. What it did matter was that we all agreed. Like it happen in every little town home team. But little town home teams doesn’t go to an European cup final. And they never play in Wembley.
So, for three days, I met middle and elementary school classmates in Trafalgar Square, in Covent Garden, in a Baker Street pub. And my old coach in Harrodsburg, and in Regent Street a couple that lived in my same building, the floor above me. Then groups of lads like me, those that in town you see million times and never greet. But when you meet there, queued to enter in Equinox, seems to be like your cousins.
London saw those strange supporters distractedly, those that stand in the same bars together with Antwerp fans. All of us took many pictures with Belgian fans. Police controlled, discreetly: ‘When did you arrive? By plane? It’s the first time Parma is in a final, right? Can we look into your bags, please?’
First friends of us arrived in our King’s Cross bed and breakfast on matchday morning: ‘We passed around here’ . It was a continuum, then. Until the meeting with those who left Parma that same morning. And that would be back during the night. All in 24 hours, maybe less.
I asked to one of those friends what he remembers more than everything. And he answered: ‘the way to the stadium’. Long, straight, white. Around us many known faces. Greetings and silly encouragement with everyone. Those two towers that we saw many times in pictures or on TV that become closer and closer. More and more majestic. The feeling to enter into mythical place. It wouldn’t be the same anywhere, not in Bernabeu, nor in Parc des Princes. Wembley is the Football. Parma, us, that day was italian football.
The wait and the sensation that following three hours could be filled with everything. Anyway, with something we would never forget. But I was never scared to loose, not before, not during the match. Not when Antwerp drew. Actually, even the first goal, very beautiful even watching it many times, by Minotti, seemed so logical. The normal consequence of those two days and a half spent in London. The Severeyns draw was just a predictable hitch, arrived to make all the rest a bit more thrilling. Then Melli with a header. Don’t worry, they will never reach us. Then Cuoghi with the fists in the air. It’s over, even if still six or seven minutes lasts.
I saw many people crying. And a friend of mine climbing and waving his arms. Behind him, on the screen, the text ‘Congratulations Parma AC’. That is my image for 12nd May 1993.
Then, during the night I heard those who sang Curva Nord chants in Piccadilly Circus. We were seated in the ground. In any other night of our life, with all London still to be enjoyed, there would be so many interesting things to do. But not that night. That night we could even stand there, seated.
