AC Milan v Lazio

While planning a holiday in the Italian lakes I couldn’t resist the idea of taking in an Italian Match. I checked the internet and found AC Milan were at home to Lazio only eighty Miles from where we were staying, the temptation was too much and the promise of day in Milan, the fashion capital, was enough to persuade my girlfriend that it was a good idea.

Ticket-less we set off early to Milan arriving at about 10:30 in the morning, various stalls and refreshment stands were being set up and several fans were already starting to congregate.
Parking was proving difficult, despite their being a large number of car parks I deduced using my pigeon Italian that they were for pass holders only, finally paying someone 10 euros to park on his lot of land directly opposite the San Siro concourse.

The Ground looked huge and the vast concrete spirals looked daunting, a quick walk around the Ground followed and we then found a nice café to have an espresso and a sandwich looking out towards the ground we saw the ticket booths and waited a while then decided to get the cheapest ones we could, expecting it to cost a fortune, we were surprised to buy two tickets for 30 Euros, could this be right I thought to myself, 22 quid for two of us to watch two of Europe’s premier clubs? I asked the man again he said 30 euros and handed over two tickets.

We then proceeded to start looking around the many stalls around the ground and laughed at the AC Milan seat cushions at a Euro each we soon snapped up a couple though, as many of the locals were starting to appear and they seemed to mostly have them.

By this time we noticed a bar and a large group of Milan’s Ultra’s were starting to congregate around it, all wearing their various ”brigate” T shirts with different emblems, it appeared to be that their T Shirts and brigate emblem was determined by where they sat in their respective stand.
In the windows of the bar their respective leaders were handing out match Tickets openly, this was unlike any fans group you are likely to see in England, it’s clear they identified with the group and there were smaller groups within the whole.

I noticed that a group of Police had parked their vans in a circle around some Lazio fans, hemming them in near their turnstile although several were just milling around outside the group then there was a noise and it was the main Lazio ultra bunch singing, coming towards the ground accompanied by riot police, a few insults were hurled by a small group of Milan but it was peaceful on the whole and they were quickly ushered into the ground.
It was at this point we decided to enter the ground and take the long walk up the spiral towers to our lofty perch high in the stand.

The ground wasn’t empty but nothing like full and we took the opportunity for a few snaps to be taken and then I thought I’d check out the refreshments, nothing at all like at home, freshly cut sandwiches 2 euros and freshly made coffee for a euro were the order of the day, along with hotdogs crisps popcorn and fizzy drinks all served in a clean and relaxing environment.

It was when the ground filled that the famed Italian Ultra’s made their mark on proceedings, AC Milan’s Brigates were waving flags bigger than a house at one end while Lazio’s Ultras in Smaller numbers were drowned out by the impressive display of support form the Milan End.
At the front were their leaders hanging off the front of the Second tier Holding Microphones and loudhailers while a group of six drummers kept the tempo for what was a ninety-minute carnival.
The game was just as entertaining Inzaghi opened the scoring which led to a huge noise and a whole crowd singing his name, there was a blanket of thick red and black smoke too emanating from the home end, I ‘d say there were over 6 thousand in that section all continuously backing their team, minutes later another effort disallowed, the crowd hardly noticed, quiet for a few seconds then, it was back to the songs.

In the Second half Substitute Oliveira made it two nil and once again the place erupted and Oliviera’s own song was soon flowing down the stands, Lazio got a late consolation but that only seemed to Spur the Milan fans to back their team even more.

This was for me an incredible show of what fans can achieve and it also showed how Milan’s fans and Italian Ultra groups have a relationship with their clubs like no other in the world, certainly not in England, this was their ground their club and the police and stewards all knew it, they were around in case of trouble but weren’t needed, these fans threw away the safety manuals and were trusted to keep themselves safe.

Silvio Berlusconi may own the club but he only does it with the fans backing, it’s their club and they know it and show it.

Anthony Dent