Vi proponiamo un interessante articolo pubblicato dal giornale inglese The Guardian scritto da Richard Hall and Luca Hodges-Ramon dove si ripercorre la storia dello Stadio Friuli, di come sono nati i gruppi HTB (Hooligans Teddy Boys), Friulani al Seguito, Collettivo IncUdine, Ultras Udinese 1995, Nord Kaos, Brigata Pordenone, Briganti Baldassa, Suisse Tarzeons e della stagione
1997-98 dove Oliver Bierhoff divenne capocannoniere in Serie A.
L’articolo è scritto in inglese, qui ve ne riportiamo un estratto, a fondo pagina il link per leggere l’articolo completo
Stadium: Stadio Friuli, 1976, capacity 30,642
The Stadio Friuli is an amphitheatre with character and style. It will soon be a beacon of light among Italy’s ageing stadia as it goes through some extensive modernisation. The stadium’s gym, athletics track, fencing and martial arts facilities made it ultra-modern when constructed in 1976 – it was the only host venue for the 1990 World Cup that did not need refurbishment – and it is now being refurbished to keep up with 21st century standards.
The stadium’s huge, curved roof is being extended and all manner of modern extras are being fitted, from heated seats to Wi-Fi and restaurants. The New Friuli Stadium will help Udinese enter the modern era. Like at Juventus, the methodology will follow the Bundesliga model. The atmosphere is passionate when near full capacity – as was seen some years back when Udinese were battling for a Champions League spot – but most attendances are a lot smaller and the noise can be lost, despite the efforts of ultra groups.
“Reduce capacity, raise quality” was the slogan for the reworked stadium. The club wanted it to have 22,000 seats but the city preferred a capacity of 30,000; being part-owned by local authorities it is a bureaucratic dilemma that many Italian clubs have to confront. The refurbishments were meant to cost €25m and be complete by the start of the 2013-14 season, but these delays are not uncommon in Italy.
The Udinese owner, Giampaolo Pozzo, has invested €30m into the stadium and expects it to be complete in time for the 2015-16 season. The new stadium will be multifunctional and used on days when football is not played. It will host concerts and will have a museum and swimming pools. “If we hadn’t done this, we would have lost a great part of our support over the next five to 10 years,” said Pozzo.
Contractors are currently working on the Stadio Friuli and the pictures look impressive so far. Refurbishments on the north and south stands have nearly been completed and, by the start of the season, Udinese should be playing in a modern stadium that has retained its character.
Zico is a legend at Udinese and there is a supporters’ club dedicated to him. What does Antonio Di Natale represent to the club and fans?
“Along with other groups, we don’t support individual players. This is because players come and go, while the colours and the shirt remain. For this reason, we don’t even have chants for individual players. For the rest of the supporters this isn’t the case, and obviously Di Natale is considered a symbol of Udinese and has been for the last 10 years.”
In the 1997-98 season Oliver Bierhoff became capocannoniere in Serie A. An under-rated forward playing for an unfashionable team made 32 appearances and scored 27 goals, only two of which were penalties. In the days when calcio ruled the world, “Das Boot” was scoring a goal every 105 minutes