The co-ordinator of Fiorentina ultras explains why ‘silence isn’t really an option’ for fans when Dusan Vlahovic returns in the Juventus jersey for tomorrow’s no doubt fiery Coppa Italia semi-final. ‘An entire city felt betrayed.’
It was only towards the end of January that Vlahovic made the transfer from the Viola to their most bitter rivals, following the same path set by Federico Bernardeschi and Federico Chiesa in recent years.
Before that, Roberto Baggio was the one that stung the most, but the difference in these latest cases is that the Divine Ponytail was sold, these players practically forced their moves by rejecting more lucrative offers.
“An entire city felt betrayed by Vlahovic, the same way we were in the past,” Fiorentina fan club co-ordinator Federico De Sinopoli told Radio Punto Nuovo.
“Vlahovic, Chiesa and Bernardeschi all came up through our youth academy, but they never absorbed that Viola identity. Bernardeschi is from Tuscany, Chiesa played here since he was 10 years old, but even then…”
Fiorentina know full well there will be insults, and plenty of them, so have already released a statement begging their fans to avoid using racist terminology regarding the Serbian’s ethnic identity.
Some players thrive on pressure and a hostile crowd, others like Nicola Berti famously had to be substituted 30 minutes into his return to Florence for Inter because he was so affected by the atmosphere.
“Silence isn’t really an option,” added De Sinopoli. “Florence is a very chatty city, so the cold shoulder isn’t really in our DNA. There will be a reaction, whether it’s a jeer or a chant or a whistle, but it will be there.
“Fiorentina fans know their team will be made stronger if they are able to psychologically knock down Juventus. That’s part of football.”
Controversially, De Sinopoli also tried the old – frankly unjustifiable – suggestion that all these insults, including racist ones, are “not done with any real conviction. It’s just a way of trying to get the other team off guard, of weakening their best players, it becomes a kind of theatre.”
Vlahovic ultimately is a returning ‘enemy’ to the Stadio Franchi, but the video released by Fiorentina’s social media team makes it clear the striker’s transfer barely registers in the wider scheme of the long-running hatred between these clubs and their fans.
The video goes from ‘This is not a game like any other’ to ‘It has never been a game like any other’ through to ‘This will not be a game like any other.’
Notably, one of the players the clip showed scoring against Juventus for Fiorentina was Enrico Chiesa – Federico’s father.
Non è una partita come le altre 💜
Fiorentina-Juventus, Mercoledì 2 marzo 2022 ore 21.00
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RIEMPIAMO IL FRANCHI ⚜️#forzaviola #fiorentina #fiorentinajuventus pic.twitter.com/ujtseAtjQ1— ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina) February 28, 2022
Only the lowest rung call 70m a betray. Why not reject the offer and let him leave free in a year with your dignity?
@Andy. Lol these are the same idiot fans that believe in a magical rivalry that exists in their small minds alone ! Now feed me your best players like all good little feeder clubs need to do hahahah!!!!
Andy@
Belive many fans wanted the club to do just that. So how could they be the lowest rung when they didn’t made the decision?
Vlahovic ultimately is a returning ‘enemy’ to the Stadio Franchi, but the video released by Fiorentina’s social media team makes it clear the striker’s transfer barely registers in the wider scheme of the long-running hatred between these clubs and their fans.
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Hatred was mainly caused by juve stealing a Scudetto from Fiorentina in early 80s.