One Livorno fan's lonely journey across Italy

I remember a game at Brighton in the 1980s where Doncaster Rovers, bottom of what was still division 3 at the time, on a freezing Wednesday night in November, seemed to have brought 2 fans. The whole ground (and there weren't all that many of us there either, to tell the truth) gave a rousing cheer when they both launched into a cry of 'Yorkshire... Yorkshire...' about halfway through the second half.

Totally different circumstances but I remember watching Grimsby play Wimbledon at Blundell Park immediately after the infasmous move to Milton Keynes had been made. The Dons brought 8 fans. The funniest thing was, none of them sat together!

In a way a heartwarming story, but also a very sad one. Yet another testimony to the way in which Italian football is slowly sleepwalking its way towards oblivion.

Stories of the way fans are treated are now an everyday occurrence, but absolutely nothing is being done. Only 37000 saw the Italy v Denmark game in Milan, and some of them didn't get in till half time. Can anybody imagine that happening in a cinema or a theatre?

Most grounds have quite a large section reserved for away fans. Here in Bergamo a space that could hold 2000 fans is often occupied by about 10, except when the big clubs come visiting.

You begin to wonder whether those who run the game actually care that it is now being played in stadia with swathes of empty seats even at the highest level.

25 years ago tickets were scarce because stadia were full. Now they remain unsold because even those who prefer the real thing to TV are not willing to enter the bureaucratic maze that might, eventually, lead to them getting one.

Before I read this story, I though that AlbinoLeffe had the record for the fewest away fans - they usually take about 5. Their motto is 'better a few than none'.

You could also contrast this story with the 160 Napoli fans who travelled thousands of kilometres to Dnipro in the Ukraine. They saw a virtual reserve side lose 3-1 in the Europa League, and they must have known what coach Walter Mazzarri was likely to do. Mad, if you ask me. Perhaps clubs should warn fans in advance of such farces that they travel 'at their own risk'.

To be fair, France don't get high away attendances either. I'm going to Sochaux on Tuesday in the league cup and the supporters group (1 of 2) I'm a member and season ticket holder with are only taking one coach and it was not full as of the home game on Friday night. OK, the trek is a long for a Tuesday night and it is in the very unpopular French League Cup but Saint-Etienne are one of the best supported teams in France.

And how difficult is it to get a ticket for such a game in France? Nothing like as difficult as in Italy, I'd guess.

At the Kidderminster v Gateshead match two years ago, the Aggborough announcer, to ironic cheers from the home faithful, said it was great to see the "dozen Gateshead fans who had made the long journey from the North East". Wrong on two counts - we numbered 14 and several of us had travelled from various parts of the West Midlands (where we are, of course, engaged in missionary work!!).

Now-defunct Leigh RMI managed to take a single fan to Dagenham several years ago.

www.fansfocus.net/dagenhamandredbridge/i...s/20041018811599.jpg

Taking one fan seems much more impressive than taking none, but no Histon supporter could be arsed to go to the match at the Racecourse the season before last. The players all ran out and went to applaud the travelling support, only to realise that there was none.

geobra wrote:


To be fair it is much more difficult than in the UK. You can't just turn up on the day and buy a ticket. You have to be in one of the supporters groups or be very well in with someone who is. All tickets and travel are pre-arranged and that is the only way of attending it appears. Also, when you arrive at the game, you can't walk around town etc you are escorted directly to the ground and have to spend an age there before kick off.

All this makes the experience I had in Greece in September 2010 seem even more surprising. I turned up at the Olympic Stadium in Athens about an hour before kick off to see AEK v Asteras Tripolis. I joined a short queue, handed over 20 euros without having to show any form of identity, took a short walk to the entrance, and I was in. They even let me take a plastic bottle with the top still on. And yet Greek football is tarnished by violence every bit as much as 'Il Calcio' and much more, I'm sure, than 'Le Foot'.

My favourite tale of low attendance:

"Tokyngton Manor F.C. are a football club based in Tokyngton in the London Borough of Brent, Middlesex, United Kingdom. The name was changed to Tokyngton on moving from Ruislip Manor's Grosvenor Vale ground in 2008 even though the club's temporary new ground is in Greenford. They are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One for the 2008-09 season. During a game where Tokyngton hosted Buckingham Athletic, attendance was one."

I watch the Belgium national team home and away and was one of 6 in Kazakhstan, 8 in Tallinn, and 2 in Greece earlier this year! And yes I did know him. Meanwhile, when we played Austria there were 4000 and against England at Wembley there were 10,000. The range is farcical.

Great article - that's all I have to say.

robccfc - do you know Steph from Molenbeek?

Yes, of course ;)

As has already been said, great article.

Clermont had 2 in the away end at Lens on monday. The Ligue 1 & 2 stats list away attendances, they are often miniscule & sometimes zero but then you consider the distances & expenses involved you can only admire those that do.
Carpark 2 was scornful until I explained Clermont was about 400 miles away.
More praise too for a great article.