Are You Ready For Some Futbol?

The last time I watched a soccer game was about 19 years ago, and the teams were made up of 10 and 11 year old boys. Soccer (aka futbol, aka calcio in Rome) is everyone’s #1 sport here.  Rome actually has two professional soccer teams—the A.S. Roma, representing the city, and Lazio, representing the region. Today we saw A.S. Roma vs. Lazio. You can imagine the rivalry that happens. This is the Hatfields and McCoys. the Capulets and Montagues. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. You get the idea.

A fine male specimen
outside Stadio Olimpico

Mr. C and I bought our tickets last week and headed to the stadium about 1:00pm today. Game time was 3:00pm, but we were told to be there an hour early. We walked to the Piazza Popolo and then caught the tram from there. The Stadio Olimpico is shared by Lazio and A.S. Roma. Both call it their home. Oh my. I can only imagine the fights about who trashed the home team’s showers last.

The Stadio was built in 1937—and was the site of the 1960 Olympics. It’s in a huge sports park built by Benito Mussolini—originally called (naturally) Foro Mussolini, and renamed (naturally) Foro Italico after WWII.

Tailgating

We were early, and grabbed some street food from one of the many spots on the via outside the stadium—pizza and some fried cheese balls.

Meet me at
the Mussolini

Amazingly, there’s still a huge obelisk at the entrance with “Mussolini” inscribed down its length. Kind of like telling your friends you’ll meet them at the Stan the Man statue at Busch stadium, this appears to be the rendezvous spot: “ci incontriamo al monumento Mussolini.”





We’d been warned that these A.S. Roma vs. Lazio affairs can get pretty wild and spirited, so when we saw the dozens of police cars, officers, and empty buses ready to cart off the lawbreakers we were on our best behavior. Our two water bottles were confiscated by the authorities when we checked in and we didn’t complain—just in case it might mean a night in the Roma slammer. The police checked our IDs to make sure they matched the names printed on our tickets (yes, personalized tickets for all 70,000+ fans!) and then we were in.

I can’t begin to tell you how exciting this game was. Today’s was considered an A.S. Roma home game, so the Lazio fans were relegated to one endzone (or whatever it’s called). There were hundreds of pennants and flags and also banners willingly stretched across rows of fans.

Pregame fire bombs

At each end there were dozens of firemen in full uniforms.  Before the game and throughout the two hours they’d hose down the running tracks that encircled the field. Why? Because every now and then some fan would toss out a bomb-like flare, that would flame on down there. A designated firefighter would use a set of 3-foot, or so, tong-like things to pick up the still flaming flare and drop it into a contraption that kind of swallowed it all up. Stay with me here—I am not making this up. Also, every single time one of these things was thrown down it made an exploding noise like a bomb. It was very scary at first, but then I kind of got used to it. The young guy next to me jumped each time one of these flaming bombs got thrown down on our end. I think it was kind of funny that the police confiscated our water bottles, but let the fans bring in bombs.

Throughout the game the fans sing and chant in unison—kind of like a girls' softball game, but not as annoying. The one chant I picked up and participated in was “forza Roma”—roughly that means “Rome strength.” 

Flag-colored smoke from firebombs on the Lazio side

One of Lazio’s team members got two of those penalty cards and when he got thrown out, the Lazio fans lit up their end with red, white, and green bombs (see above) like the Italian flag. Apparently, this was a big show of solidarity.

When someone scores the fans jump up, scream, kiss each other, hug, etc. These people are REALLY into the whole scene. I don’t know much about soccer, but our team (the A.S. Roma’s) scored twice and the Lazio’s didn’t make any goals, so we won!

When the game ended everyone stood up, waved their flags and pennants and banners and sang “Grazie Roma”.  It was actually quite moving. While the fans were singing, the team members and coaches were blowing kisses and bowing and waving.

I like calcio!

Katerina

I've been attending sporting events since I was a little guy, beginning in the late 50's.  My first baseball game, Stan Musial got his 3,000th hit at Wrigley field as my Cub Scout group looked on.  My first NHL hockey game, I saw Maurice, The Rocket, Richard in his final Stanley Cup season at Chicago Stadium.  NFL championship (before there was a Super bowl in 1963.  World Series Game 7, 1968 didn't go well.  Point is, I've been to a lot of games over a lot of years.

A few months ago, while we were planning our time in Rome it occurred to me to find out if the Major League soccer season would be going on in Italy while we would be here.  I knew nothing of how the leagues work in Europe.  Anyone remember Sunday mornings on Channel 9 in the 70's, "Soccer made in Germany?"  So I Googled Italian Soccer League Rome and found the team AS Roma.  Would I like to "Like" AS Roma on Facebook?  Sure.  So AS Roma news has been showing up in my Facebook news feed for a while now.

Our second night in Rome we were having a late night coffee and gelato and the waiter wanted to talk.  etc, etc, etc.  I ask what everyone is watching on the TV inside and he says the AS Roma team is playing Parma.  I ask, "Where can we buy tickets to see AS Roma play?  He says "Right over there, the building with the lights."   So the next morning we bought two tickets for today's match between AS Roma and Lazio.   The Italian in the seat next to me said "For your first game you have picked the best possible game, with Lazio."  Turns out Lazio also is based in Rome and the rivalry is hot.   Really hot.

Aside - Everything in Rome is "Right over there", or "Just make the next right turn...".   It never is.  You go where they say and then ask again.  Eventually you are standing in front of your destination unaware of how the initial direction you got played a part in your ultimate finding of your destination.

Mosaic sports vignettes decorate
the sidewalk entrance to the Stadia Olimpica

We decided to get to the stadium early.  We caught the #2 Tram from the Piazza di Popolo for a 10 minute ride to the Olympic Stadium, site of the 1960 Rome Olympics.  Colorful crowd, lots of flags, pennants, etc.  Amazing police presence.  Riot gear, buses for hauling off offenders.  While the crowd outside was not all male, it seemed mostly male and mostly young.  We were told there was no food inside so we chose pizza and risotto balls (yummy).  Sort of a tailgate as we sat on a curb with our fellow soccer fanatics.

When it was time to go in we started hearing loud rhythmic cheers from inside the stadium.  Sent a chill down my spine. Upon entering the stadium there was this incredible spread of color and sound.  40 minutes till game time.  The teams come out for warm up.  Hooray for the AS Roma team, boos and whistles for the Lazio team.  Where are the Lazio fans?  Their half of the stadium is almost empty.  The man besides me speculates they are being held outside for security.   Really?  Then I notice the demarcation aisles of the stadium has hundreds of yellow suited "stewards" designed to keep the fans of the two teams from coming into contact with each other.

A few minutes before kickoff everyone stands up and cameras, iPads, et al are raised.  What's going on?  National Anthem?  Nope.  There is a Roma, Roma song that all the fans know and they sing lustily.  As they are singing fire bombs are flying out of the south end seats (Curva Sud).  There are lots of bangs and a lot of smoke.  Spine chilling again.  I should point out that the fire department has been on the scene soaking the track behind the goals in anticipation of the fire bombs.  We had our bottled waters confiscated at the gate but apparently it is fine to bring in fire bombs.

Game time.  Lazio takes the ball and pressures AS Roma.  All of a sudden loud booing, whistling.  Whats happening?  The Lazio fans have entered the stadium.  Pouring into the empty sections like ants at a great picnic.  Fire bombs and smoke galore.  Oh my, the spine chill has morphed into a full body OMG shake.  Lazio nearly scores, the pace is frenetic.  Players have no room on the field to make a play because the skill level is so high and the energy of the players is fresh.  Hard plays on the ball.  Cheering, whistling, the game ebbs and flows.  Finally the players get a bit tired and play settles in to a pace that I can follow.  Lot of careful strategy, no one wants to make a mistake.  45 minutes elapse in a snap.  It's 0-0 at the half.



Second half begins and AS Roma is taking over.  Finally 63 minutes in, #45 scores.  Total eruption, the fans are going wild, the AS Roma players are going wild.  Lazio end quiet.


As the game winds down Lazio has chances to tie the game but give opportunity to AS Roma.  Finally in the last minute, Lazio fouls in the penalty area and Roma converts the penalty kick for the 2-0 final.

 The crowd stayed as the game ended.  The players from both teams embraced at mid field.   The Lazio players moved to their fans and saluted them as the AS Roma players saluted their fans.  Then another, post victory, singing of the "Roma Roma" song.  More spine tingles.

Make our way to the tram.   Way more crowded and uncomfortable trip but we made it.

At dinner we told our waiter we'd been to the game.  He said it was not a good day for him as he is a Lazio fan.  OK, too bad.  Then I asked him about the situation with the fans not coming into the stadium before the game started.  He said it was not a security thing but that the fans were protesting the Lazio  owner not spending enough money on players!!!!.  Of course.

I've tried to recap an incredible day for an old sports fan.   Words can't do the experience justice.  While the environment is boisterous, I never felt unsafe and in an odd way the crowd was well behaved.  (I don't get the fire bombs, but no one seemed upset.)  It was not a drunken mess as games are at home sometimes.  Where we sat there were lots of kids with their families.  It just seems to be a way of life.  This experience has moved into my top 5 sporting events of my lifetime and might be number 1.  Awesome, just awesome.

Ciao.

Giovanni