“I’ve died with this club and I want to be part of its rebirth”
– Alessandro Lucarelli
The hallways of Parma’s multi million euro training facility in Collecchio lay dormant now. An eerie quite hangs over a place where only weeks ago it was filled with the hustle and bustle of people going about their daily jobs. Photos of better times still adorn the walls, while the chairs lay neatly stacked on top of tables in the restaurant. Outside the pitches lay unused the wind being the only thing that moves the grass now.
15km to the south-west the Stadio Tardini also lies vacant, a lone Gialloblu scarf swinging from the gates. Death comes to us all they say, yet a little part of us thinks that football clubs are exempt from such matters. They were here before and they will be here after me. That is why it comes as such a shock when one does disappear from the landscape.
It’s the 11th of April 2015, Luca Bertelli sits in the press box at the Tardini commentating on the match he sees in front of him for Radio Bruno. As the match edges closer to its end listeners have to strain their ears to make out Luca’s increasingly high pitched voice. Then the final whistle goes, cue pandemonium Luca’s voice nearly gives out on him, you can’t see it but it feels like tears are cascading down his cheeks. Gathering some composure he describes it as one of the greatest wins in the clubs history up there with the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia. A bankrupt Parma have just beaten Juventus one-nil.
Skip on less than three months and the club that goes by the name Fc Parma no longer exists. Yet this is not the end of Calcio in this beautiful Emilian city. As can be seen from Bertelli’s commentary above the passion for the sport runs as deep here as in any Italian city and with the passing of one club so sees the rebirth of another to carry on the proud 102 year history of Parma football club.
This new entity goes by the name Parma 1913 and will compete in the Semi-Professional Serie D (As of writing this is still not 100% as there is another group by the name of Magico Parma looking for affiliation with the FIGC, however Parma 1913 remain outstanding favourites to claim the spot). The new club who will be headed by a consortium of local businessmen, including Guido Barilla of Pasta making fame, have already started off on the front foot with the appointment of Nevio Scala as the new club president.
Scala is a legendary figure among the Parma faithful due to the fact that he was the man who earned the club promotion to Serie A for the first time in its history and set it on a course for unprecedented success during the 90’s. The fact that he has signed up to the new project will fill the hearts of all with ties to the club that it will one day in the not too distant future return to its rightful place at the top level of the Italian game.
The appointment of 48 year old Luigi Apolloni as manager is also something that is sure to appease the fans. Apolloni is no stranger to the inner workings of the city and its people having made over 300 appearances for the club during a 12 year spell from 1987 to 1999. In fact Apolloni is the third highest appearance maker for the club behind only Ermes Polli and Ivo Cocconi. These two connections to Parma’s glorious past are sure to be key in aiding them return to a bright future.
Another huge boost for the new club is the statement by last season’s captain Alessandro Lucarelli that he wishes to remain at the club. Despite being only a few weeks from turning 38 Lucarelli has more than enough footballing ability left to be a real force at Serie D level. Even if he is not his cult status with the clubs supporters is unlikely to be diminished after all he has done for the club in the past year. Another name from the past who has been linked with a return to the club is former captain Stefano Morrone. A real battler in his day Morrone would more than likely bring experience and steel to the midfield.
However it is not all golden oldies who will be making up the Parma squad next season, in fact it will be quite the opposite. The new hierarchy have already stated that they want to give youth a chance and the names that have been linked with the club in recent weeks seem to bear that out. Most of the players linked with the club are from the city itself or the surrounding areas and were on the books of the club at some stage or another during their youth careers. It is hoped now that these youngsters who grew up supporting the club but were unable to make the grade will show the relevant passion that is needed to get the club out of what is perhaps the most difficult league in all of Italy.
For now Parma 1913 remain a shell organisation, they are however quickly filling in the core. The news that the Mayoral office has granted them permission to use the Tardini is a huge boost to the fledgling club (Magico Parma have also received permission if their affiliation is accepted).
It is also a huge boost to the city itself which has been hit hard by the clubs failure. One tends to think of it as only a sporting disaster, but on an economic front it has been a real blow. A sizeable amount of people were made unemployed when the club went under and many wholesalers in the city who supplied the club with various items have felt it badly on the balance sheets. This is why it is so key that the new Parma return quickly.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport Guido Barilla stated that if the city is to recover then football will be the key and in particular Parma 1913,
“I am here with a group of friends to start writing a story which will be different from any other ever written. We have enormous respect for our city and want to witness its Renaissance and football is key to this”
Out of the spotlight Parma 1913 will go about making the club great again. Out of the spotlight the Ultras will make their way to the Curva Nord and roar on their team. A beautiful new journey is beginning in the land of Verdi and Badalocchio.
Parma never died they have just been reborn.
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