I’m currently lost on the outskirts of Reggio Emilia and living up to its reputation as the Italian industrial heartland. I’m surrounded by warehouses, petrol stations and tiling manufacturing sites.
Having just completed the near 30-minute high speed train journey from Bologna – Italian train network I salute you – I’ve arrived at the Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana and in my infinite wisdom decided to walk into Reggio Emilia.
One part of my Australian-speaking brain is still confused over whether I’m heading to Modena, Sassuolo or Reggio Emilia, or all three, so the decision to walk back to the train station with my tail between my legs was an easy one.
On the bus and heading into town I realised if I happen to be looking out the wrong window, or get distracted by Aquatico – Reggio Emilia’s biggest water park, I’ll miss seeing the ‘Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricoloe’ or as most know it ‘the MAPEI’ for the first time.
Arriving at my hotel and confirming in fact that yes, I’m in Reggio Emilia, I ask the hotel to book me a taxi to the ground, not wanting a repeat of my earlier walking adventure.
Two hours prior to kick off I arrive at reception and they confirm my taxi’s on the way, and standing directly behind me are five gentlemen, all in dark suits also wanting to get to the MAPEI.
The receptionist reminds them their car is on the way and won’t be too long.
One of the gentlemen in particular stands out. I know his face, however I cannot place him. I find myself staring at him and surprisingly he stares right back and doesn’t look happy that he’s got my attention.
If looks could kill, this man is well on his way to sending me to an early grave, and then it occurs to me I’m surrounded by Italian football referees!
Referee Marco Piccinini, who’s sending death stares my way, and the other gentlemen are met by a black VW Transporter, windows heavily tinted and what very much looks like an undercover police car, which arrives at reception to transport the officials to the stadium.
I half-jokingly ask Francesco Fourneau, the other referee I recognise, can I get a lift to the stadium and he laughs out loud: “unfortunately not!” Fourneau replies.
Piccinini, still staring intently at me, doesn’t find my attempt at humour very funny at all.
On my way to the stadium my taxi driver makes the usual small talk however so I ask what affect will the death of Sassuolo owner and president and Italian industrialist Giorgio Squinzi will have on the club.
“It will never be the same,” he reflects. “The club owes him everything and I’m not sure if his family feel the same way about Sassuolo.”
“Now his wife isn’t well either, it’s sad as we weren’t ever meant to be in Serie A, it’s all thanks to him, his work and his family” said my driver.
As a sad footnote to this conversation later that month in November 2019 and less than two months after her husband’s passing Giorgio Squinzi’s wife Adriana Spazzoli passed away.
Due to road closures surrounding the stadium I’m dropped off about a kilometre away from the stadium and I’m reminded of the one beautiful tasty constant at every Italian football ground I’ve visited, the smell of roasted peppers and sausages being cooked.
As I approach the stadium, I’m directed to the opposite end, having purchased my ticket at a Tabaccheria in Modena the night before, and surprised to find that I’m sitting with the Bologna fans.
As I take in the Mapei I’m once again in awe of my surroundings and grateful to be in Italy to simply watch football. And yes eat, but mainly football.
There’s something to be said for a November night in Italy’s north.
The light towers providing a focal point for all to see, fog descending upon the ground with the air getting cooler by the minute. It’s beautiful in its own bone-chilling way.
Outside the stadium it lives up to its reference as a multi-purpose venue.
Not only home to Rugby Union matches, there’s a shopping mall built behind one end of the stadium and to the rear of the other stand sees a range of restaurants, gyms and cinemas.
Once inside the Mapei, which is probably one of the most up-to-date stadiums in Italy given its recent construction and renovation in the late 90s, the first obvious stand out is, aside from the pumping techno music being played pre-match, the ‘Mapei’ decorated light towers and the water-filled moat built between the pitch and stands.
The Bologna faithful, already consuming most of the away end, are here in their numbers.
Some are high on life, and others on what smelt like cannabis. Either way, the all-consuming smell gently wafts across the curva as one weary eyed Bologna fan gives me the thumbs up.
The home crowd lives up to expectations, not known to be one of the biggest supporter bases in Italian football, yet there’s still a healthy crowd in attendance.
The stands are full of older supporters, families and children whilst behind the opposite goal the Sassuolo ‘active supporters’ – I won’t call them ultras as most seems to be in their teens.
Outnumbered and outvoiced by both the Bologna fans and the pre-match Italian techno music they’re struggling to make their voice heard.
Sassuolo are coming into the match in great form winning four out of their past five matches whilst Bologna are struggling to find any consistency, a story of their 2019-20 season, winning only once in their past five matches.
The home side open the half looking more dangerous and Bologna are struggling to deal with I Neroverdi’s lethal counterattack and front three of Francesco Caputo, Domenico Berardi and Jeremie Boga.
In the 34th minute Roberto De Zerbi’s side strike first as Francesco Caputo scores to put the home side up 1-0 and as the half progresses the Bologna fans around me openly criticise their side for being too defensive.
Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has set up his side with two defensive midfielders, or ‘mediano’ if you like, in the form of Gary Medel and Andrea Poli and both are being over-run at a rapid rate.
The second half sees much more of the same as the home side dominates and Sassuolo score through Boga in the 68th minute.
Surprisingly Bologna, having done very little attacking wise, respond two minutes later through Ricardo Orsolini.
However, five minutes later Caputo puts the game to bed, and the techno music pumping with a thumping shot from outside the box after a mazy run through the tired Bologna defence.
When the death-staring referee blows full time on the match the Sassuolo theme song blares over the loudspeakers fill the Reggio Emilia air ‘Nero Verdi, nero verdi!’
Hear the song once, and it’s stuck in your mind for an eternity. I still find myself randomly singing ‘Nero Verdi, nero Verdi!’ over a year later!
Once the home crowd had made their way out of the Mapei it was time to head back to my accommodation. After my earlier walking mishap, I decided to double down and make the thirty-minute walk back into town.
Before I know I‘m singing the club song to myself before what felt like a matter of minutes, and realistically a couple of kilometres, I soon realise I’m surrounded by darkness and silence on the long road back into town.
Not quite at the Mapei, not quite in Reggio Emilia with an empty road to keep me company and not a soul in sight, I felt like I was in no man’s land.
“Nero Verdi, nero verdi!” “Nero Verdi, nero verdi!”
This is Sassuolo, this is Reggio Emilia, and this is the Mapei.