La vecchia signora

 La vecchia signora

Celtic travelled to Turin in the autumn of 1981 to face the might of Juventus in the European cup. The Hoops fought tenaciously and won the first leg 1-0 thanks to Murdo McLeod’s strike at Celtic Park in front of 60,000 Celtic fans. The thousands of Hoops fans heading to Italy had some hope of progressing as that particular Celtic side had a good attacking threat and a determined bunch of players. Juventus in those years though had a stellar squad which contained not only Liam Brady and the excellent Roberto Bettaga, but also five other players who would win the world cup for Italy at the end of that 1981-82 season. In defence, legendary goalkeeper, Dino Zoff was  backed up by the excellent Cabrini,  Scirea and the ruthless Gentile. Claudio Gentile was the quintessential Italian defender, hard as nails, disciplined and skilled in the dark arts of defensive football. Known as ‘Gaddafi’ to his team mates because he was born in Libya, Gentile took no prisoners on the field of play.

Those who know football consider the Juventus defence of the early 1980s to be one of the most formidable back lines in football history. It is to Celtic’s credit that they defeated a team containing almost half the Italian national side in Glasgow. If Gentile was the steel of that defence then Scirea was the silk; a cultured and technically gifted player who could pass the ball out of defence. Tragically, Gaetano Scirea was to be killed in a car crash in Poland at the age of 36. He had gone to watch Gornik Zabrze on behalf of Juventus as they were due to meet in the UEFA Cup. His Polish driver had four canisters of fuel in the trunk which exploded when he collided with a truck. All three passengers in the car died

Football was plagued by the ‘English disease’ of hooliganism in the 1980s and Italian fan culture was among the most volatile and violent in Europe. Regional differences and fierce rivalries often led to violence and disorder at Italian games. An added extra to the poisonous mix was politics with far right and far left groups following certain clubs and often looking for trouble on match days. The hooligan elements attaching themselves to Italy’s bigger clubs were well organised even then. Juventus’ Ultra group would often make visiting supporters trips to Turin a dangerous experience. Things did not bode well for the travelling Celtic supporters who arrived in Turin in big numbers to back their team.

The crumbling old Stadio Comunale was packed with 69,000 fans who made an incredible racket as Celtic took the field wearing their all green away kit. Some Celtic supporters had already been attacked that day by thugs on mopeds who carried chains and flick knives but worse was to come after the game which Juventus deservedly won 2-0. Celtic fans were attacked by organised mobs at the coach park and some received horrendous wounds. One fan was struck by a machete and another was slashed the entire length of his back while 3 more received stab wounds. Buses had their windows smashed as fans lay on the floor inside trying as best they could to protect the younger supporters. It was a horrendous situation and only the arrival of the Italian riot Police ended the trouble. Some Celtic supporters who were at that match left Turin on their windowless buses with an abiding dislike of Juventus and their supporters. It was a long and cold journey over the Alps and back north to Scotland.

Celtic’s next trip to Turin was not without incident either. In 2001 Celtic played their first ever Champions League Group match against Juventus and it was to be another eventful evening. Celtic seemed a little nervous early in the game but were giving as good as they got when a defensive lapse just before half time allowed David Trezeguet to score. Worse was to follow ten minutes after half time when the French striker scored again. It looked a long way back for Martin O’Neill’s side but that group of players had guts and character in spades and took the game to the Italians. Petrov scored after 67 minutes and Celtic pinned Juventus back as they sought the equalizer. It duly arrived with 5 minutes to go when Larsson scored from the penalty spot against legendary keeper Buffon. The team then pressed for a winner when Juventus forayed forward in the dying seconds of the game. A hopeful ball to Amoruso saw covering defender Joos Valgaeren in control of the situation. The Italian went to ground theatrically and to the astonishment of everyone in the stadium the German referee gave a penalty. Celtic had a good result snatched out of their hands by an outrageous decision. It was a bitter pill to swallow and was to cost Celtic a chance of qualification in the group.

Celtic supporters had some measure of revenge when the Hoops put in a stirring performance to beat Juventus 4-3 at Celtic Park in one of those magical Celtic Park nights. It was a display of attacking prowess, power and pace and the fans loved it. Sadly results elsewhere saw Celtic tumble out of the tournament as that stolen point in Turin came back to haunt them. Juventus, known as ‘la vecchia Signora’ (the old lady) a converse pun on their name which means ‘youth’ in Italian, were respected as a good team by Celtic supporters but their fans were disliked after the events of 1981. Their cynical approach to the game, epitomised by Amoruso’s dive in Turin, didn’t help relations between the clubs or supporters.

Celtic next tangled with the Italian side in 2013 in the round of 16 Champions League. The tie at Celtic Park demonstrated how cruel football could be. Celtic attacked from the outset but their two overlapping full backs were leaving gaps which the clinical Italians exploited. The game was decided by the quality of finishing and by the referee’s repeated habit of ignoring the pulling, holding and blatant grappling of Italian defenders on the Celtic attackers. Once it was clear they would not be punished for holding Celtic players in the box they did it all night. Celtic were mugged on the counter-attack and lost 3-0. Many fans were furious at the antics of the Italian defenders but more so with the Spanish referee who let then foul at will. It is no exaggeration to say that Celtic could have had 3 or 4 penalties that night such was pushing and pulling of their forwards. Commentating on the game Michael Owen said on the night…

‘Gutted, Celtic deserved so much more. They have been outstanding; it’s particularly annoying to have witnessed so many dirty tricks by the Italians.’

Celtic headed for Turin and the newly built, all seated Juventus stadium with little hope of progressing. Something remarkable occurred that evening in the pouring rain but it wasn’t on the field of play where Celtic fought gamely before going down 2-0. With the tie well beyond the team, the Celtic supporters sand their hearts out. They demonstrated to the more cynical supporters of Juventus that you backed your team through thick and thin. As the Italian fans looked on at the Scots in their section of the stadium bounces and sang their hearts out. Something very rare in football then occurred; the home supporters began to applaud the Celtic supporters.

The Italian media picked up on the great support shown by Celtic supporters for their team and contrasted it to the booing and jeers Italian sides received when they were losing a game. Juventus fans commented on social media with one saying…

‘We have a lot to learn, all of us; deep respect to the Celtic supporters. I was in the stadium and I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s a deep love for the team and for the sport of football. What an example!’

Another supporter of Juventus, who hailed originally from Naples, (many Neapolitans moved north to work in the Fiat car plant) said of the game…

‘If the match had taken place in Naples the fans would have most likely have thrown paper bombs or smoke bombs instead of applauding them. They should be an example for us who complain at the team when it doesn’t express its full potential or loses a game. This is called tifo!’

Italian newspaper, Calcio Mercato wrote of the Celtic supporters in Turin on that rainy night in 2013…

‘The Celtic fans gave an authentic lesson in sporting civility, of fair play and passion. Despite losing the game and being eliminated from Europe the Celtic fans never stopped singing and encouraging their team.’

Juventus manager Antonio Conte was also able to offer praise for Celtic  although doing it from the position of winning manager is perhaps easier. He said…

‘Celtic have been worthy rivals to the black and white stripes of Juventus. Those green and white hoops are a strip of a team worthy of applause from the football world.’

Celtic’s three European ties with Juventus over the years mark out not just developments in football. Players change, cultures change, stadiums change too but the idea of going to football and backing your team fully is an unchanging facet of many Celtic supporters lives. Italian football combines the grace and artistry of players like Pirlo with the ruthless cynicism of some of their defenders. They may have a more powerful league than Scotland, more success in Europe historically and more resources to build their teams but their fans could learn much from watching the passion and commitment of Scottish supporters, especially those who follow Celtic.