The Stadium

Name: MAPEI Stadium - Città del Tricolore

Capacity 21,584

Location Reggio-Emilia

The Mapei Stadiumis a multi-use stadium in Reggio-Emilia, Italy. The stadium was built in 1995 and has capacity of 21,584 It was christened “Stadio Città Del Tricolore “but in March 2012 it was renamed the Mapei Stadium due to sponsorship purposes.

Sassuolo’s owner at the time Giorgio Squinzi decided to purchase the stadium in 2013 making them along with Juventus, the only top flight clubs to own their home ground. It is true that the stadium is also home to Reggiana, but they rent the space from Sassuolo as do Zebre of Parma (a local Rugby Union side.) The ground can also boast to be the largest sporting facility in the region which is a huge achievement for a club of Sassuolo’s size.

When the Neroverdi were promoted back to Serie A in the 2013/14 season the champions of Serie B they promptly upgraded the facilities. These were all small but essential changes such as new scoreboards, fresh turf for the pitch and the seating.

The stadium is similar in structure to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa. It has an ‘English’ feel to it, in that the four strands are close to the pitch. There is no athletics track around the pitch as is seen in many mid to lower Italian ground and the atmosphere can be felt, especially when Sassuolo play the big teams. The Neroverdi can also boast being the first team to have ownership of stadium and facilities and could be labelled revolutionary in Italian Football. Juventus may have achieved this also but they were the second to do so. The reason the Turin giants get the credit of being number one, to because their facilities are custom designed for them.

Revolutionary is an apt word for the club as the stadium is not the only thing that has a continental feel to it. They offer a varied and levels of tickets including standard tickets, they have places in the Curva and also they have 32 executive boxes which really are breaking the mode for an Italian club, especially at this level. The match day experience is something that needs improving in on the Peninsula and doing this whilst keeping the Ultras is something Sassuolo do well. Their Bundesliga model allows everyone to customise their own match day experience and despite the ground not being in Sassuolo.

Attendances keep at a steady flow in comparison to the rest of the clubs in Italy. The whole feeling of being at a game at Sassuolo leaves many left with the notion of what it is to be a modern fan. It even keeps them coming back, despite them being a small club punching way above their weight. The success of the team on the pitch and the atmosphere around the ground and the financial model is truly exemplary and should be noted throughout Italian football.

THE ULTRAS

A Guide to the Ultras of Serie A: Sassuolo

City: Sassuolo

Key Ultra Groups: Clan Curva Nord Sassuolo

Other Ultra Groups: Sasol, Ultras Saxolum 1988, Alkatraz, Gruppo 1922, Head Out, Eagles, Gli Antenati

Unlike many of the teams and regions documented in this series, Sassuolo is something of an unknown quantity. Located in Emiglia Romagna, Sassuolo lies southwest of its more distinguished and super-car manufacturing neighbour, Modena. It’s not a destination that sits high on the priority list of the average tourist. That is unless you happen to belong to the coterie of Calcio aficionados. Then you may feel a trip to this remote industrial town is worth its weight in gold, or more pertinently ceramics. For while Sassuolo is renowned for being at the nexus of Italy’s tile industry, more recently the town has been slapped firmly on the footballing map thanks to the seemingly inexorable rise of US Sassuolo Calcio.

Sassuolo have one of, if not the, lowest followings in Serie A. Speaking to Silvia and Giulio, two season ticket holders who have followed Sassuolo home and away for the last two years, they were quick to acknowledge the clubs modest history.“Sassuolo don’t have a prestigious footballing tradition. It was only after Giorgio Squinzi bought the club and Sassuolo began to climb up the leagues that the people became passionate.”

Their story is similar to that of Chievo’s, a footballing parvenu whose extraordinary rise to prominence has left supporters incredulous. The Sassolesi are minnows in the landscape of Italy’s Ultras. They don’t have strength in numbers. Nor are they renowned for their braggart choreographies or tumultuous atmospheres. But whether it is home or away, in Modena or Reggio Calabria, a small contingent is always present to support the Neroverdi (Black and Greens).

Their paucity in numbers is unsurprising. Sassuolo is the smallest town to boast a team in Serie A, with a population of around 41,000. The club have spent much of their history toiling in the doldrums of the amateur leagues. A slab of brick plastered firmly at the base of the Calcio pyramid. The more established teams in the region (Bologna, Modena and Reggiana) have traditionally attracted the support of the town’s football fanatics.

However, with the Neroverdi enjoying a period of footballing transcendence, their organised support has – to a much smaller extent – enjoyed its own renaissance. Thus, the story of the Neroverdi’s Ultras can be told through the looking glass of the clubs rise. Unbeknown to many, during Sassuolo’s fledgling years an English club called Lancaster Rovers FC left an indelible mark on their identity. During their tour of Italy in 1921, Lancaster was unable to fulfil a fixture commitment and as a means of apology, donated their black and green kit to the Italians. The strip was adopted and the colours promptly embraced, earning Sassuolo their nickname – I Neroverdi.

After years of anonymity, in 1974 Sassuolo’s fortunes began to turn after they merged with the cities other football club, Giofil San Giorgio. Ten years later the Neroverdi earned a much awaited promotion to Serie C2. It was the first time the town had a team competing in a professional league. This success on the field inspired movement off it. The ‘Ultras Saxolum 1988’ established themselves as a clique of fanatics whose Campanilismo (local pride and identity) was their raison d’etre.

Their name reveals all. The town’s title, Sassuolo, is thought to have derived from the word ‘Saxolum’, the etymology of which is said to stem from the Latin words ‘Saxum’ (large stone) and ‘Solum’ (soil or location). It is thought that Sassuolo was once a military fortification housing a legion during Roman epoch and thus the denomination celebrates the town’s ancient origins. It’s worth speculating whether this association with ancient Rome may also be in keeping with their alleged sympathy towards the far-right. Symbols from the Roman Empire are often embraced by the neo-fascist Ultras of AS Roma and the correlate between right-wing political ideology and ancient Rome has been discussed earlier in this series.

For the majority of the late 1980’s and 1990’s the Neroverdi oscillated between Serie C2 and Serie D. Despite a period of relative stagnation on the field, their Ultra movement continued to evolve. New groups appeared, most notably Gioventù and Alkatraz. In 2002, Giorgio Squinzi – owner of the multinational MAPEI company – sponsored the club and a year later he acquired ownership. This proved to be the harbinger of a new era and Sassuolo’s subsequent success has beggared belief.

However, while Squinzi set about developing a concrete club structure which was the precursor for Sassuolo’s climb up the professional ladder, support for the team became desultory. In 2003, the emergence of ‘Head Out’ helped reinvigorate the atmosphere at the Stadio Enzo Ricci. The stadiums tiny capacity meant there were no curve and thus the Ultras positioned themselves in the tribuna (the side stand). Despite rarely filling 4,000 seats, their homebecame something of a fortress and during their promotions to Serie C1 in 2006 and Serie B in 2008, the Neroverdi lost just three home games in each season.

Success didn’t come without its problems, both for the club and their supporters. They were forced to relocate to Modena’s Stadio Alberto Braglia due to the size of the Ricci. The Ricci was used for training while the supporters faced the prospect of a 12 mile trip to watch home games. Having struggled to fill a venue of 4,000, the Sassolesi barely filled a corner of Modena’s 20,000-seat arena. Every home game was a reminder of Sassuolo’s size but also one that emphasised just how far the club had come.

Under the tenure of coach Eusebio di Francesco, the Emilians scaled the mountain top in 2013, winning the Serie B title. 15,157 watched the Neroverdi secure their historic promotion to Serie A with a 1-0 over Livorno, Simone Missiroli’s last gasp strike sparking scenes of jubilation as the Sassolesi flooded the pitch to celebrate with their heroes.

That said, their new venture in Serie A did not alleviate their stadium woes. Sassuolo’s home changed once again, this time to the Stadio Citta del Tricolore, the home of Lega Pro side Reggiana. In December, 2013, Squinzi bought the stadium and renamed it after his company – Stadium Mapei. It was a deal that angered the Ultras of Sassuolo’s Curva Nord.

“How many times have we reaffirmed our sense of belonging and love for our city, and how important it is not to constantly feel like guests; but unfortunately economic interests have prevailed over the passion and attachment to our colours… One more time, we do not belong in this stadium.”

Later that month, for the first 15 minutes of Sassuolo’s game against Chievo, 500 Reggiana supporters sat with the Sassolesi in the Curva Nord expressing their indignation. “Per Squinzi: Un Affare Perfetto, Per Sassuolo: Nessun Rispetto” ‘For Squinzi: a perfect deal, for

Sassuolo: no respect’ one banner proclaimed while another read ‘Never at home’. The supporters chagrin has yet to be ameliorated however the team’s performances on the pitch have provided a welcome distraction.

Sassuolo are now thriving in Serie A. Unsurprisingly the clubs achievements have seen the Ultras ranks swell. A group named Clan Curva Nord, formerly Saxolum proclaim to be Sassuolo’s only ‘real’ ultras. They are joined by two supporter groups known as Sasol and gli Antenati. They ensure the Mapei Stadium is not without atmosphere and spectacle, indulging in the customary flag waving and relentless chanting.

That said the movement remains small and their following away from home modest, especially given that the Clan Curva Nord refuse to accept the controversial Tessera del Tifoso (supports ID card), thus making them unable to attend away games. According to Silvia and Giulio, around 100 supporters usually follow the team on the road.

With success comes envy. Sassuolo’s following is often taunted regarding their allegiance to other clubs, especially before the Neroverdi reached Serie A. These disparaging attitudes are exemplified in the following statement made by a Parma supporter.“They are Juventus fans who used to support Modena during the two years the latter competed in Serie A. They returned to Juve and now they support Sassuolo. That is apart from when they play against Juve and then they revert back to being Juventini.” Ultras or not, Sassuolo’s supporters can remind the naysayers that at this point in time they sit highest placed of all the clubs in Emilia Romagna. In a city where the fires traditionally burn in kilns, Sassuolo have ignited a footballing passion. The Neroverdi are re-shuffling Italian football’s hierarchy but as Silvia affirmed, the supporters will never forget the clubs humble beginnings.

“Being a supporter or player of Sassuolo is different to that of other clubs in Italy. Sassuolo is pride, simply, Sassuolo is our colours. The result is not important, we want players who fight for our shirt and who give their hearts. Here, in contrast to the rest of Italy, we enjoy a friendly and personal relationship with our players.”

With thanks to season ticket holders, Silvia Mezzadri and Giulio Mucci, for their knowledge and expertise. In the two years they have been following Sassuolo home and away they have missed just one match! Grazie e in bocca al lupo per il campionato.

CLASSIC PLAYER: Francesco Magnanelli

Francesco Magnanelli may not be a house hold name in Italian football, he may not sell newspapers but he is loved by the fans of Sassuolo. Their short history does not give them many star names and it does not leave them speaking over late night glasses of wine, about that great player in 1934, who was part od Vittorio Pozzo’s World Cup winning squad. Sassuolo have no Paolo Maldini, they have no Giuseppe Meazza they have no Dino Zoff and they have never had a Deigo Maradona.

Maganelli is their Captian however and he has played 308 times for the club and has scored five times. He is a hard working midfielder who embodies what Sassuolo are as a team, he is talented, purposeful and certainly not pretentious, there are better players and he punches above his weight but his endevour and humility make him likeable. At only 30 he has still time to go before he retires, especially as he doesn’t rely on pace and after being with the club since 2005 it is unlikely we will see him anywhere esle in the future.

Francesco grew up in Gubbio and also started his carrer there at 16. In Serie C2 in 2001/02 he played 14 games and held a lot of promise. The scouts swarmed in and he was watched by the likes of Torino and Chievo.

Picked up by ‘The Flying Donkeys’ in 2002 for 50,000 Euros he spent a season failing to make the first team. A move to Fiorentina in 2003/04 saw him once again fail to make the grade and he did not play a single game. In 2004 he moved to Sangiovannese in Serie C1 and played only seven games between the time of his move and the end of the season.

It was in these seven games that scouts from Sassuolo found him and picked him up promising that he would start in their then Serie C2 outfit. It was a long way from where he has started but Francesco took up the challenge with the want of just playing football. The promising midfielder once eyed by Torino was now quite literally ‘Maganelli who?” but it was a tag he did not mind.

He made 26 league appearances in his first season in Serie C2 impressing along the way with his mixture of key passes, through balls, interceptions, tough tacking and his ability to throw himself in front of the ball to block shots. His will to in was exceptional even if he lost his head and his discipline once in a while.

Sassuolo won promotion and the season after in Serie C1 he played another 26 games and got his first goal. He was now the focal point of the team and was creating the image of Sassuolo through his play which was style through industry. Soon the Neroverdi were in Serie B and he was now establishing himself as an anchoring midfielder who was able to mix with a much better calibre of player. Under the guidance of Andrea Mandorlini, Stefano Poli and then Daniele Arrigoni he improved his game even more and in 2011 even scored in Serie B in the Derby against Modena. Now he was becoming a legend and he soon extended his contract when Fulvio Pea came in as coach.

On May the 18th 2013 he and his team lead by Eusebio Di Francesco won promotion to Serie A as champions of Serie B. At the ripe old age of only 28 he debuted in Serie against the team that once wanted him, Torino. They may have lost 2-0 but now as Captain Maganelli is leading his team against the great and the good of Serie A and what’s more, they are winning. He may not be Javier Zanetti or Raimundo Orsi but to Sassuolo he is more than that. He isn’t one of a list of greats, he is the great and for that, they will be eternally grateful.

By Richard Hall @Gentleman_Ultra

& Luca Hodges-Ramon @LH_Ramon 25