Fanfulla: Lost Warriors
Words: Federico Farcomeni
Images: Federico Farcomeni
There is a knight.
And a castle.
And also a princess.
But no fairy tale ending.
Lodi is one of Lombardy’s 12 provinces - the least populated of all.
At the train station, Atalanta stickers mark the territory - despite Bergamo lying 37 miles north, this is a hotbed of the Goddess fans somehow, just if having Inter and Milan on your door wasn’t enough.
As you disembark, the station square pays tribute to roller hockey - a statue bears the writing “HOCKEY 2011 LODI”.
Even if it’s formally dedicated to all who contributed to the growth of the sport in town, it’s clearly a symbol of the heroes of the local team, Amatori Wasken, winners of four league titles, seven domestic trophies and two international cups.
In local lingo, “wasken” is an alteration of the word “vasco” which translates as “strong”, “skilled” or “shrewd”.
Where is Fanfulla then, you are tempted to ask?
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Piazza della Vittoria. Lodi.
The football team’s name comes from Giovanni Tito Alon aka Bartolomeo Fanfulla (his battle nickname), a legendary warrior of the XVI century, who “despised any danger in battle”.
His birth and death places are uncertain and his legend mostly resonates in the world of myth but it’s certain that he fought in most key battles of his age, including the famous battle of Barletta where 13 Italian soldiers fought off as many French counterparts in the quest for the dominance of the Kingdom of Naples on behalf of Ferdinand II of Aragon.
On that occasion, Fanfulla had remained horseless and fought on foot. He fought on the side of Florence and Spain against Pisa and France, but also for the Holy Roman Empire.
As writer Age Bassi put it, “Fanfulla is the unpredictable and unexpected side of a Lodi otherwise known as placid and slow-paced; however, there is vitality, it exists, it manifests itself and it certainly does so in the sports field. That little bit or a lot of Fanfulla, swordsman of good fortune, which still resides in us all citizens of Lodi, must push us to revive sport in Lodi”.
A statue of Fanfulla is also found in Lecce, 620 miles away from Lodi. Interestingly the town’s coat of arms is a red cross on a yellow background, the same colours as Lecce football team, which are instead a tribute to the old Crown of Aragon.
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Fanfulla’s colours instead are black and white, but the ultras use all four for their banners and flags.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla street art.
An emblem painted outside the Dossenina stadium bears the writing 1984 and pays tribute to the only trophy ever lifted by the club - the Coppa Italia Serie C won in 1984.
They knocked out Brescia and Vicenza along the way, then beat Ancona 2-0 on aggregate in the final, also thanks to former Watford manager Giuseppe Sannino.
Another moment of glory, was when Fanfulla played Catania in Sicily in the Coppa Italia proper in 2019, with seven fans in the away end.
The club reached Serie B in 1949 but was relegated five years later with a five point deduction, due to bribery allegations.
Along the way, they even played Roma as the Giallorossi made their debut in the second tier in 1951 in front of 25,000 (Roma won 2-1 then equalized with only five minutes left on the clock in the reverse fixture in Lodi).
On match-day, when away fans show up to the Stadio Dossenina in Lodi, the local Curva Sud is given to them, whilst local ultras are moved to the side tribune, just on top of the teams’ entrance to the pitch, where a banner reminds about the existence of “AC (sic) Fanfulla 1874”, one of the oldest sports club in Italy (the football branch was not opened until 1908).
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Stadio Dossenina.
Weeds, scraped walls and a rainbow painted on one of the houses making up the other “tribune” suggest an embattled club hopeful of better days ahead.
Derbies with Sant’Angelo Lodigiano are fierce, yet ten fans were banned in the clash against San Giuliano City in 2023.
When I visit, over spring time, 60 ultras from Pro Sesto have made the short trip from Sesto San Giovanni and are not being hostile with the home crowd.
Both sets of fans march and sing in small processions to the ground. Once inside, the two sets of fans even sing in unison when a banner of protest against “B Teams” is held by the Fanfulla ultras in the second half.
In a self-deprecating manner, they sing “everywhere we go / nobody wants to know / who we are!”
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Ultimi Guerrieri. ASD Fanfulla.
A black and white St Andrew flag reads “cause perse” - lost causes. This was the case also for the original ultra group in 1994 - Curva Celebrox, because people labelled them as “cerebrolesi” (brain-damaged), hence the nickname willingly spelt wrong.
CC then was dissolved in 2011 before the Ultimi Guerrieri (Last Warriors) emerged as the leading group two years later.
A female veteran ultra, has been with the black and white bunch for years and waves a huge flag for the whole game which eventually ends one apiece as relegation looms for Fanfulla (in red today).
Many of the banners are hung upside down, seemingly in protest at the poor form on the pitch.
At the end of April, Il Guerriero (the warrior) will eventually be relegated to Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian football where another not so unusual fight will await next season - horseless and on foot.
In the city, trees blossom heavily.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla vs Pro Sesto 1913.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Stadio Dossenina.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Curva Sud stickers.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Knight street art.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Loyal supporters of ASD Fanfulla.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Curva Sud street art. Stadio Dossenina.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Stadio Dossenina.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Stadio Dossenina changing rooms.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Ultimi Guerrieri. ASD Fanfulla.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. AC Fanfulla 1874 banner.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla. Stadio Dossenina changing rooms.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla vs Pro Sesto 1913.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla vs Pro Sesto 1913.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Pro Sesto 1913 at ASD Fanfulla.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla vs Pro Sesto 1913.
©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. ASD Fanfulla banners.
©Federico Facomeni/ Terrace Edition. Lodi blossoms.
Federico is on X: @fedefarco and Instagram: @fede.farco.
