I love Football (Go USC!) & Baseball (Go Dodgers!).. I'm an American after all. But I have never been able to sink my heart into Soccer. So having spent all of these years in Italy, I've never been to a serious professional Soccer match. I've been to the small ones, but never ‘Stadium Sized' games. That changed yesterday.
I'll write this article aimed at people that are not up to speed in the world of European Soccer, so I ask those of you that are in the know to be patient with me.
I was invited to go to a match between AS Roma (Rome) and Juventus (Turin). They are the Italian Soccer equivalent of the Yankees vs. the Red Sox, with Juventus being the Yankees. You know, the team that has a huge following all over the country (and the world), not just mainly in their home town. It was held at Rome's Olympic Stadium.
I was far more focused on the experience than the game itself. After all, I could care less if ‘Totti must die' or not. Still, I was there with a group of six die hard Juventus fans, who graciously shared a ‘nearly impossible to procure' ticket to the game. Many envious people felt the ‘golden ticket' had been wasted on me. That said, for my own personal safety I was a Juventus fan yesterday.
The experience began with the walk up to the stadium. Vendors abound were selling flags, shirts, banners, towels, etc. proclaiming that ‘Juve must die' and ‘Juve I hate you', etc. Juve is short for Juventus, in the same way that we say ‘SC' for ‘USC'. There was no pro-Juventus paraphernalia to be found. In fact, I noted that none of the fans wore anything pro-Juventus. Odd, considering what a huge following they had all over the country.
After a bit, we arrived at security check #1. Then #2, then #3. Then a caged fortress-like area where we inserted our tickets. Then yet another security check. Each person was individually patted down, made to empty their pockets and bags, then checked again, and again at a series of checkpoints. Nothing was allowed in. There were literally thousands of police in full riot gear everywhere you looked, forming lines, ready for the worst. I think I would have an easier time getting into the White House than the Soccer game yesterday.
The moment we walked through the gates, I witnessed people opening their bags and getting shirts, hats, flags, etc. out. All Black and White... Juventus colors. They had been afraid to wear their gear outside of the protection of the ‘Juventus Section' of the stadium.
As we walked into the stadium, I quickly learned that all of the security was outside. It was pure chaos as we attempted to find our seats... until I learned that seat assignments have no meaning. Everyone just crowded in wherever they could. Aisles, stairs, etc. were all fair play for seats.
As we tried to make our way to a place where we could see the game, I suddenly heard a roar of screaming and felt the pressure of thousands of people pouncing around me, pushing me (and everyone) violently to one direction. As I looked up, completely confused, I saw a chair flying over the big fence into the stands where I was. Thousands of people were rushing away from the area... into me. Then another... and another.... Bottles, small objects, etc. It was mayhem. I noted that everyone on the other side of the fence was wearing Red and Yellow, while those on my side were wearing black and white. I was within 20 feet of the giant divider between Juventus fans and Roma fans. THANK GOD FOR THE MASSIVE BARRIER!
Riot Police stormed the area and calmed things down, after a fashion. We continued to slowly make our way to a better place in the stadium. Pushing and shoving to move foot by foot was the order of the day.
Once we were settled in our chosen location, one thing became utterly clear. I was in that spot for the duration. The stairway was completely blocked by fans and there was no way to move away from my two square feet of stadium floor. I had skipped lunch earlier, thinking I would get a bite at the game. HA! A couple hours earlier I passed up an opportunity to go to th
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Let's face it... when I am in the US, this blog runs pretty dry. After all, a blog about Italy doesn't do too well when you are sitting at a computer in Florida. Well, that is soon to change.
