Around the world,  Italy,  Travel Journal,  Turin

Attend a Torino Football Club match at the Olympic Stadium in Turin (Italy) – part 5

After attending a Juventus match in Turin, this time I’m going to discover the other club in the city, the Torino Football Club

The Torino Football Club

To be honest I don’t know the Torino any better than that. In spite of its long history (the club was founded in 1906), it’s been a while since it’s been playing the leading roles in Italy

Even without really knowing the club, any soccer fan worthy of the name knows the emblem of the club: the bull, and recognizes its famous burgundy red jersey

THE star and captain of the team is the striker Andrea Belotti, most of the flocked fan jerseys are in his name

Apart from him, I know the Sirigu, a former PSG and N’Koulou goalkeeper who passed through Marseille and Lyon

The opponent: SPAL 2013

To tell the truth, I had never heard of SPAL before attending this meeting. SPAL moved up to the elite level 2 years ago and barely made it to the top last season

Modest opponent therefore but who still achieves a good start to the championship with two wins in two games

How do I buy a ticket for a Torino Football Club match?

I did it without any difficulty online on the official website of the Torino: http: //torinofc.it/en/biglietteria/acquisto/all

WARNING: when you buy tickets, please make sure to fill in the first and last names of the people who will be attending the game. Italian soccer having had big problems of violence a few years ago, tickets are nominative and identities are systematically checked (a French identity card does the job)

Tickets are much cheaper than for Juventus. I paid 21,22 € (including site commission). Knowing that I deliberately put myself in a curve to make the most of the atmosphere. This is far from the 130 € I paid to see Cristiano Ronaldo and his friends🙂

You will receive the tickets by e-mail a few moments later and have to print them

On the way to the stadium, the ticket office was still open a few minutes before kick-off. The stadium was far from being full (I don’t know if it’s usual, the game was on a Sunday evening, it could be an explanation). It is therefore possible to try your luck at the last moment if you didn’t book in advance

The Olympic Stadium of Turin (Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino)

The Olympic Stadium was completely rebuilt in 2005 for the Olympic Winter Games in Turin

This one isn’t particularly impressive because it is relatively small: its capacity is 28,000 spectators

I get there by streetcar easily, it drops me off 5 minutes walk from the stadium

I can smell the grill right away, there are barbecues everywhere! Here it’s popular, family soccer, we come to support our team by passion. There aren’t dozens of tourist coaches coming just to see what shines as I could see at the Allianz Stadium

I’m eating a very good sandwich (a panini?) and it’s starting to rain cats and dogs!

The access to the stands isn’t very well indicated and I have to ask a steward for directions. I’m completely soaked when I find the right access and I’m struggling to scan my ticket. With the rain, the barcode is all softened..

Contrary to Allianz Stadium, there is a small dig (maybe because I’m on a curve?) but it’s really minimalist

I finally arrive in the Curva Maratona curve, which is known to be particularly hot. So much so that the jersey n°12 has not been attributed to a player for 20 years at the Torino, we consider indeed that the 12th man is the tribune!

My place isn’t fantastic, I’m too low. As in any bend, it’s a bit of anarchy and the placement is only indicative, I decide to go back up to be higher

Game interruption and fire atmosphere

As I come around the corner, I have to say that I feel a bit like an intruder. I’m one of the few not wearing the club’s colors, everyone seems to know each other and have their little habits. It’s not a problem, the atmosphere is warm and friendly

The fans are wound up like clockwork and start singing with passion as soon as the players warm up, they will not stop until the match is over. Of course, everyone is watching the game standing up as in any self-respecting corner

The rain doubles the power and makes transmissions particularly difficult. It’s just when I think that the soggy grass is really getting in the way that the referee decides to interrupt the game. All the players go to the dressing room

Then we play only the 17th minute 😞

At that moment I tell myself that it is dead, the rain does not seem to want to stop its sad work. Impossible for the game to resume. Not only is it unplayable but it is dangerous, at the slightest tackle, the players slide 5 meters

While the lawn is deserted, the fans continue to sing with more ardour than ever! Unbelievable!

Even if I don’t believe for a moment that the match will resume, I stay, the atmosphere is so good!

Here is a little video I took during the interruption

And it goes on like that for… 45 minutes!

After 45 minutes, the rain finally stops and the referee arrives, accompanied by the two captains to check the state of the lawn. He throws a ball in the air, which crashes into a puddle, without even bouncing 😀

The whole grandstand is laughing with an air of understanding, this time the final stop will be pronounced, that’s what everyone was waiting for to return home

But miraculously, the referee tries again on other areas of the field. The ball bounces more or less and the decision is made to resume the game to everyone’s delight

The show on the lawn isn’t spectacular. There is obviously less talent than at my Juventus in Turin – Lazio in Rome and the waterlogged lawn doesn’t help

On the other hand, in the grandstand, the show goes on, singing, jumping, clapping hands. I try to participate as best I can, regretting that I don’t know the lyrics to these catchy songs

When my neighbor on the right ends up offering me to pull on his joint, I tell myself that I shouldn’t be a complete tourist. It was by politely refusing that he must have understood that I wasn’t Italian

It is finally Nicolas N’Koulou who, from head to corner, capsizes the audience. 1 – 0, final score despite a few scares

At the end of the game, the rain has the good idea to resume more beautiful. So it’s soaked to the bone that I go back to the apartment. Soaked but happy to have lived this superb experience

https://youtu.be/QKH40Z8zkIo

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