Winning the Scudetto refers to Maradona, the history of Naples and the passion of its inhabitants for football
It has been more than three decades of waiting, but Napoli closed the queue and brought home the Scudetto after last Thursday’s draw with Udinese. Napoli was looking forward to life in the light blue color, which paints every corner of the southern Italian city, which breathes football and its local club in a unique way, like no other. The title has a special meaning for all people, not only for the overthrow of the team’s long fast, but also for historical issues with the country and its idols, as well as a demonstration of the strength and power of a region that has suffered so much.
Everyone already knows that Italy is a country with a strong passion for football. But in Naples there is a different relationship. A people that has the ‘fever’ from Naples. Founded in 1926, the club is the only one in the city, making the relationship as unique as the local football scene. In other words, in sport, the Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli is a means of defending and representing the territory and the Neapolitan community. Strolling there, it is very easy to find any kind of props with the club colors, crest or whatever is on the streets. The blue of the team’s shirt gives a little more life to an already colorful and varied shirt.
With a rousing season, illustrated in a kick of imposing, attacking and dominating, which was a pleasure to watch, City got into the mood, gained hope and kept in tune with the team. So Napoli pushes Napoli and vice versa. A joint walk. In recent days, with the title ever closer, it’s been hard not to feel the release of the scream stuck in your throat for 33 years.
The conquest crowned the comeback after a bankruptcy and a brief extinction in the 2000s, when it was saved by being bought by director Aurelio De Laurentis, the Neapolitan strongman by then, and had to start again in Serie C.
Life in Naples revolves around the passion for the city club (Photo: Filippo MONTEFORTE/AFP)
But the relationship between Maradona and Napoli goes beyond the pitch. Since he has questioned and faced the hegemony of the major clubs in Italy, originating in the north of the country, where the economic and football strength is concentrated with Inter, Milan and Juventus. Maradona touched the social wounds weighing on Italians by proudly defending a forgotten region, which does not have the same socio-economic development as the north.
– For 364 days a year you are considered by the rest of the country as foreigners and, today, you have to do what they want, cheer for the Italian national team. I, on the other hand, am Neapolitan 365 days a year – Maradona said at the time.
The movement worked, Argentina beat Italy with part of the support of the Neapolitans, but Maradona ended up with the vice of that Cup. In the same year the number 10 hermano leaves Naples, but the fans don’t forget ‘El Pibe’. The idolatry continues today on the streets of the city, a way of keeping alive the memory and achievements of the Argentine star there. No wonder, the club’s stadium ended up changing its name to Diego Armando Maradona (formerly San Paolo), yet another proof of the greatness of love for Dieguito.
Past and present in Naples: fans watch the Napoli championship match on the street (Photo: Alberto PIZZOLI/AFP)
Much of the formation of the Italian state, which took place in 1861, passed through the north. This is due to the unification of the country, when there are holdings of Giuseppe Garibaldi (yes, exactly him, who participated in separatist movements in southern Brazil), in the south, and of the count of Cavour, in the north. Due to the development of the northern region, it appears that the Count of Cavour concludes the process.
From this division arises a feud between the two peoples, where there is an expressed feeling of superiority on the part of the north. There is a strong prejudice of the people who come from this region towards those who come from the south, especially towards the Neapolitans. Among the types of discrimination there are expressions such as ‘terrone’, aimed at those who work in the countryside, as occurs in the south.
Forward Osimhen was the hero of the 1-1 draw with Udinese, a score that gave Napoli the title after 33 years (Photo: Andrea STACCIOLI / AFP)
Bias is shown a lot in football and in the country’s politics. In 2017, in Italy, politician Matteo Salvini, who at the time belonged to the Northern League, a far-right party in northern Italy, stirred up controversy by singing a song that many supporters of the region dedicate to Neapolitans, calling them dirty and saying that they have a bad smell. In addition to this, in the matches against Napoli it is possible to hear the chant “Vesuvius, wash them with fire”, in allusion to the historic volcano responsible for the destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii, located near Naples and which forms part of the landscape of the city by the sea.
It is a matter of showing that, above all, there is the union of an entire population in the name of a club capable of reminding Italians that there is the third largest urban center in the country. And all this through an art different from that of northern Tuscans such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo, but similar to the humble and agricultural Neapolitan character, that is popular and capable of generating entertainment both on and off the playing field. All honoring the goals achieved by D10S, which chose ancient Pompeii to perform the miracle of bringing Pino Daniele’s land to the top.
Emotion invaded the streets of Naples after the Scudetto. An endless party (Photo: Alberto PIZZOLI/AFP)
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
