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.
Marco Ferrari just posted on his Facebook public page this comment on the new Coronavirus emergency rules that will be real since 4th of May and that will allow running but not professional training for teams (even if in protected conditions).
”From 4th of May, Bruno Alves & co. could go running in Cittadella [Parma town public park], maybe capturing the people’s interest, with the risk to create gatherings, contacts and potential infections. But they wouldn’t do the same thing, controlled, isolated and following a strict security protocol in Collecchio training center. It seems a paradox, but it is what the new rules impose about the team sports, that forbid the opening of the training centers of the team sport. At least for the two weeks following 4th of may. Then we will see.
I don’t know if and when there will be the conditions to restart with the Campionato in total security. I neither know if it is correct to try to do it – even if is a necessary choice – since we are all teared apart and suspended between the evidency that an entire business that stops will never have the energy to restart again and the sadness of an empty stadiums scenario with the echoes of ambulances in our cities.
I do know that the first step to a possible restart it had been made off the wrong foot and I hope that there will be the lucidity to remedy, avoiding to create paradoxical and potentially risky situations for the athletes’ health.”
For who will ask why during Parma vs Milan the Boys and Curva Nord will stay in silence for first 15 minutes, here is Boys Parma 1977 official statement, that you can read here in the original version.
“15 minutes of silence, 15 minutes of support strike. 15 minutes to think about 9 injunctions, arrived for the Ferrara “non-fact”. Because we are talking about this.
Unfortunately we got used in past years to see violated our rights as italian citizens, used as scapegoat by the system to cover all the obscenity of football world (fixed matches, bets, stadiums year by year more expensive reserved for fans-consumers that have to spend more and more, financial and sport doping, disappearance of historical Clubs, etc.). Often we passed over regime like laws, now it is too much. In Ferrara we organize an alone trip, as alone we would like to go to the stadium. This is not allowed in our Country, and it seems a vital point for governments and police, instead of resolving hundreds problems of our Country, and we had many examples in last days. In Ferrara we were about to go to the stadium by feet, Digos [special police force] stoped us and identified us all, just for the fact of not having been on the knowledge of our trip plan. During the way nothing happened. Zero. Nothing. But 9 guys have been casually chosen to receive a Daspo. To educate all the others to accomplish the boss’s diktat. And after Ultras, as we repeat since 20 years, this will happen to all the ones who will not uniform to the regime control plans. In that same Ferrar where a 18 years old guy has been brutally killed during a police control, but who’s picture can’t be exposed in stadium not to irritate controllers. As happened 2 months ago we are here commenting inhibiting decisions related with intentions or supposed intentions. And also in this case, some guy of the group have been hittenhit, guys that bring Curva on, guys that you see every match on that grades. The same guys that organize travels for the matches, prepare coreographies and coordinates the support in Curva. Those guys that you probably don’t know by name but you surely saw at home and away matches, that you saw work hard to make our home, Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi, bigger, that you saw getting emotional during those 90 minutes. For all this and not just this, today [Sunday] for 15 minutes we will not support. We ask you to do the same.We ask you to respect our decision. We ask you to be Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi.
This is a translated post from the original Boys Parma 1977 statement after Atalanta fans used Tardini as they home ground in the first Serie A matches since their one is closed for renewal works.
“ATALANTA FANS IN CURVA NORD
Model behavior of Atalanta fans in our Curva. During two matches they treated our Curva with maximum respect for our traditions and our Ultras history. We never doubt about that, since we had chances to discover fairness, loyalty and respect of Bergamo people in meetings, in stadium and in the streets. Vecchia Guardia lads hommenaged Bagna [Matteo Bagnaresi, the Parma Ultra died during a travel to a match and to whom is nominated Tardini Curva Nord] with a scarf, left under his plate.
Boys Parma 1977 made a public statement on Facebook we think it is important to be spread in order to understand more about Parma, Parma Calcio, fans and Ultras. We hope to have been quite accurate non-professional translator.
“An old Hellas Verona Brigate Gialloblu chant said ‘Players, presidents and coaches will change…’ and soon became a real motto and part of our actual mentality. It was 6th April 1994, replay match of a suspended derby, our last game in Mirabello stadium. 3 points donated from Parmalat to Reggiana to help them in not be relegated. Dishonoured derby, colors sullied, a town hurt, a fan base wasted. We brought consequences of this grief for years, influencing the Group future and the relationship with Curva. Since 6th April 1994 we never made a chant for players. A guideline extended to all Parma fans, sign of a mature Curva Nord that understood that football arrived at a no-return point, where giocatori bandiera, iconic player for a team, would have been a beautiful memory and that we had to concentrate on one thing only: yellow and blue jersey. And in these years, the only light at the end of the tunnel was it: the jersey. Tough years, with highs and lows, with promotions and failures, with celebrations in the square and protests. Even if our passion have been molested by institutions, Lega Calcio, thieving presidents and mercenary players, we are still here, blowing out our 41st candle on the birthday cake of Ultras history in Parma. And exactly when you think that the time won’t ever be back, when you resign yourself to modern football coming, then something comes out of the blue and you fall in love again with that game you never stop loving. We are talking about Capitano, of course, but not just about him. Recently was reported our Parma Chinese presidency after a quick break left. Well, behind this move there has been the hand of previous management, composed by Marco Ferrari, Paolo Pizzarotti, Guido Barilla, Mauro Del Rio, Angelo Gandolfi, Giampaolo Dallara and Giacomo Malmesi, the ones that from Serie D took us to Serie A, the ones that kept the promises made before Lizhang coming. We would like to underline how the people we just mentioned made their choices in Parma town, in Parma Calcio and his fans interest; as they understood Lizhang was not apt to being part of the group they didn’t loose time: ‘We put Parma Calcio interest before everything. Seeing how was the situation, we thought it was our duty return majority owner. Prudence management and financial strictness will be the basis of our work. Saying this our priority will be let the Club grow and enhance. our mission was and is still the salvation on the pitch’. Shortly, we had the demonstration that a board made by parmesan people is the basis for the health of our team and our town, exactly as we asked for after Ghirardi shame. Stronger because of this, now we have to give them and the team all our support and our affection, leaving behind all sterile polemics after a single sport event, concentrating on salvation. Because we are interested just in this, salvation, expecially the economical one! Now full steam ahead and let them understand we are by their side, because with that ‘WE are Parma’ management took legitimately an honor place.”
General Manager Alessandro Lucarelli speaks after appeal verdict and his words were reported yesterday on Tuttosport column.
Thanks Capt… ehm, General Manager to allow us to publishing it.
+++ this is a non professional translation made by fans for fans. You can read the original text on Ale Facebook page and on 11st august 2018 Tuttosport edition +++
“In last three years we have been winner three times on the pitcth and two times outside the pitch. We always knew we were right, that we deserved these three promotions with sweat and effort but we had to defend from worst accusation you can ever receive in football world. All this could put us in a bad light and blemish what we conquered. We silently fought, without give ever chance to attacks we received in these two months to hit us. And also in this case we are winners. Now, with all our enthusiasm, we can finally concentrate only on Serie A: will be 38 battles, with just one target: defend the category with tooth and nail.”
To resume the whole story follow “investigation” tag on our articles.
As we use to do, we give you the chance to listen to Parmesan’s voices. Our mission is to bring Parma and Parma Calcio closer to abroad fans and this is one of the special occasions to do it.
You already heard Fulvio Ceresini reaction to first verdict on well-known investigation we had to relate to this summer. Now we propose you the post that Marco Ferrari, former Parma vice-president and co-founder of Nuovo Inizio, the Society that allowed, together with popular shareholder Parma Partecipazioni Calcistiche, rebirth of Parma Calcio three years ago, published on Facebook few minutes after the appeal verdict that determined Parma non-involvement in WhatsApp messages absurd affair.
+++this is a non professional translation made by fans for fans. You can find original italian version on Marco Ferrari’s – that we thanks a lot for his authorization – Facebook wall+++
“WE WERE RANGERS, ETOR CHE PIPPEINS (not Pippeins, ndt)
Since long time I have not an operative role and I don’t have a place in Parma Calcio society. I fell free then, in a strictly personal way, to share some thoughts on recent facts.
With all our limits, rebirth of Parma in just three years could have been a positive advertisement for italian football in general. They preferred spit on it. Many times. In less more than one year we have been put on all first pages of italian and abroad newspapaers for two of most infamous accusation in sport: football bets and sport illicit.
I still remember the headline of an important newspaper after Parma vs Ancona: “Parma, the shadow of Camorra”. Some facts of that days nauseated me and had an important role in my decision of leave every place in Society. Not even the time to forget ‘Pozzuoli millions’ – that never existed as all investigations demonstrated – that “Cazzein affair” begun. With Parma Calcio virtually relegated for sport illicit on websites and newspapers worldwide.
Calaiò messages – careless and inopportune – has never been a sport illicit. Common sense of everyone have ever been in a locker room and is little used to WhatsApp spirit and emoji says this. It is the pitch, that knows that Parma always got what deserved in these years, to say this. Finally, today, it is also a Judge to say this.
Today verdict cancel a spot put too much easily – by many – on our patch. But – sincerely – I can not be happy for it. Because in last two months we already suffered a condemnation that nobody could payback: we deserved on the pitch to be Rangers and they tried to make us seem Pippeins.
After hell tour in 2015, Parma fans, staff, team and everyone contributed to an historical venture, deserved to enjoy with enthusiasm Serie A return.
We all have been obligated to pass horrible weeks scanned by many, too many bad words in this Great Ugliness summer.
Waiting that Time – like a wise friend suggests – will put as usual ‘each queen in her throne and every clown in their circus’.”
#weareparma #thisisparma
ps: if something is difficult to understand and you are interested in going deeper, don’t hesitate to write us. We will be happy to help you.
” This time I’m not writing as Parma fan, but as a person that for 25 years lived inside this football world and that saw things that you people…
FIGC that control and organize italian football is actually under commission… and this is already illustrative… It control it so well that, not considering for compassion our national team results, in last six years lost 38 societies, failed or that could not inscribe in its respective leagues and many other will follow. It control it so well that don’t see, or pretend not seeing, fake financial reports in innumerable society, at every level, technically failed since years, that makes creative finance selling brands and making fake capital gain. You will see that Chievo will be the most unlucky team to sacrifice to the reasons of rightness and rule respect.
Then… what do they fabricate this industrious football governors? What do they decide to do while his rotten world is imploding? They decide to give a signal that they are there, attacking the newcomer, the helthier, but that arrived to higher leve probably unexpectedly too fast and probably to the detriment of other of friends of friends, They invent from nothing a farce process, keep us on check for more than two months and condemn us to a penalty that, compared to real crimes committed by confessed criminal, that result excessive… to say it in French… nauseating.
