Flags feverishly waving, explosives and canons booming at seemingly random intervals. No, it’s not a protest or a war reenactment but a standard occurrence at an Italian football game.
This Saturday, I attended one of the most expected football games of the regular season, Roma versus Lazio. I had been warned that it might be perilous to attend the game, especially as a Roma fan, but I had also been told a football game in Rome was a required experience.
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The rivalry between Roma and Lazio, one of the strongest in Italian soccer history, came to the end during the nazi period when the Lazio team was mostly consisting of international players, while the Roma team was made up of, well, Romans. Fascism also fostered the idea of comprehensive hatred of your enemies, even on the football field. Walking into the stadium, which was built by Mussolini, I felt like I were stepping back in time. I made a decision not to wear any sort of clothing that would hint that I was favoring Roma, staying away from the team colours of dark red and gold, but somehow the Lazio fans knew. I felt like a sitting duck in the middle of sea of Lazio light blue. Fortunately , we had seats in the distinti sud section, reserved for visitors and Roma fans. It was less raucous than the Lazio section, but still, the fans chanted at such a volume that my ears were ringing long after they stopped. Some of them even threw themselves over the glass barricades in order to get closer, or further away, from their various teams’ most keen fans. At 1 time, riot police bearing protecting shields attacked a section of the stadium, clearing out the excessively excited.
What I found fascinating and even funny was the stark contrast between the crazy courage of the fans and the overly dramatic, almost sissyish tactics of the players during the game. I saw a fan throw himself off a twelve-foot wall onto cement ground and walk away as if he’d landed on pillows, but the instant one player was tripped he was on the ground howling bloody murder, gripping his leg. As soon as he realized no one was heeding his calls for attention, he picked himself up and continued playing. Alas, the stereotypical Italian male still does exist, in the form of some of their most beloved football players!
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The thing that frightened the pants off me was also the most galvanizing : the large heart and pride each fan, Lazio or Roma, had for their team. I could feel the heartbreak of those around me when Lazio scored, as well as the convincing dissatisfaction that came with the awareness that Lazio was going to win. Though Roma did not win the game she, once again, won my heart.
Roma Roma Roma
Core de sta citt
Unico grande amore
De tanta e tanta gente
Che fai sospir