Top-class sport and South Tyrol – the first thing that comes to mind is the alpine ski aces. Maybe your thoughts will wander to tennis and shooting star Jannik Sinner. Cyclists, tobogganists and water jumpers from the Alpine province have also celebrated huge successes.
Now a football club from South Tyrol is also advancing into higher spheres, even if not quite the world class. After being promoted to the Italian Serie B for the first time, FC Südtirol wants to survive against illustrious opponents – including three world champions.
At the same time, the FCS sees itself as a figurehead for a region whose history and mix of languages are unique and which are also tangible around the club.
“Ambassadors” for the whole region
At the training center in Eppan near Bozen, in the midst of vineyards and surrounded by the South Tyrolean mountains, one looks at the start of the season at the weekend with “mixed but positive” feelings. That’s what managing director Dietmar Pfeifer says, who sees the club as an “ambassador” for the entire region. He proudly points out that all Serie B games are broadcast live in 46 countries.
In many parts of the world, but also in some areas of Italy, you will hear about FC Südtirol for the first time. The club is “a calling card that is now receiving special attention throughout Italy,” says Governor Arno Kompatscher, the head of government in Bolzano.
Some Tifoso – for example in the very south in Palermo, Bari or Reggio Calabria – should be surprised about this club with the letter “Ü” in the name, which is so unusual in Italy. The province on the Austrian border can often only be geographically classified by those Italians who have already been there on a hiking or skiing holiday.
Belonging to Italy since 1919
And in Germany, South Tyrol is sometimes mistaken for a part of Austria. This was the case until 1919, when the region fell to Italy after the First World War.
For the German-speaking locals, extreme reprisals were imposed under the fascists. The German mother tongue was forbidden, many were urged to emigrate, and some of those who stayed at home even had to translate their names into Italian. Johannes became Giovanni, Hofer became Dalmaso.
Even after the Second World War, equality was still denied; in the 1960s there were protests, attacks and deaths. It was not until 1972, 50 years ago, that the German South Tyroleans were granted central rights in a so-called Second Statute of Autonomy.
Exactly two decades later, all agreed measures to protect the German- and Ladin-speaking population had been implemented. In 1992 the so-called dispute settlement before the United Nations followed.
Most of the current pros at FC Südtirol weren’t even born back then. For them, the coexistence of the languages German and Italian is normal today.
An Italian FCS fan group has been complaining for years that the club name is only “Südtirol” and not “Alto Adige” – after all, the coat of arms also says “Bolzano” next to “Bozen”. Smaller frictions are normal among language groups, says Managing Director Pfeifer in a soothing manner to the German Press Agency. “But in the stadium everyone is behind FC Südtirol.”
Small budget – separation from the coach
The club will need its supporters, especially for the home games in Bolzano. FCS has one of the smallest budgets in the league. Reinforcements are still being sought on the transfer market. And just five days before the season opener on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) at Brescia Calcio, the club surprisingly parted ways with newly hired coach Lamberto Zauli.
In addition, the outsider has to travel a long way for a few away games: Palermo, for example, is 1,500 kilometers away on the motorway, so a plane has to be chartered.
The competition comes with some world champion consecrations: goalkeeper idol Gianluigi Buffon (Parma) and the Spaniard Cesc Fàbregas (Como) are on the field in Serie B, ex-striker Filippo Inzaghi as a coach at Reggina on the sidelines. Former Frankfurt player Stefan Ilsanker plays for CFC Genoa, run by German coach Alexander Blessin.
“We’re a bit exotic in the league,” says Pfeifer. “Most clubs only represent one city. We represent an entire region.”
And this has not only skiers as draft horses. “We are still a winter sports country, but we are happy that we can now play a prominent role in football,” says Governor Kompatscher. FCS Managing Director Pfeifer even says: “It’s our job to show that people in South Tyrol don’t just practice winter sports, but that football is number one.”