Torrential Rain Can’t Dampen Catanzaro’s Party in Palermo

Depending on your sources, Palermo receives between 2,500 and 2,700 hours of sunshine annually.

Give or take the odd day, that works out to approximately three-and-a-half months of sunshine. The north of England, this is not.

One has to wonder then what the Catanzaro fans thought of their luck on Sunday afternoon as the Renzo Barbera was swept by a torrential downpour.

The second-biggest stadium in Serie B, Palermo’s ground is blessed with one of the most picturesque backdrops across Italian football, with the Sicilian mountains enclosing it on two sides.

And because Palermo receives almost four months of sunshine a year, three of the Barbera’s four stands are uncovered.

If the skies open, however, there is nowhere to hide, particularly for those in the away end.

Nestled to the right of the Curva Sud, the away end at the Barbera feels as though it should belong in a museum – its dilapidated concrete steps a window into a bygone era.

Instead, it is a reminder that, as far as Italian football stadiums are concerned, time often stands still.

What the away end lacked in comfort was more than made up for in noise, with Catanzaro fans going berserk as Tommaso Biasci put them in front just three minutes in.

A large dollop of black soon splashed across the pocket of yellow and red as the visiting ultras were eventually allowed through the turnstiles halfway through the first half. 

The vagaries of policing in Italian football are such that the hardcore elements of the support can travel across the country to follow their team, only to be kept out of the ground for a chunk of the match on public order grounds.

In all, 604 Catanzaro fans made the trip to Palermo, less than half of the capacity of the away end of the Barbera, but still a healthy figure considering the logistics involved in the five-hour trip.

Giallorossi fans have travelled in big numbers throughout the season and made a tremendous din at the San Nicola in Bari back in October when they rescued a late draw with Destination Calcio in attendance.

By the time the ultras did make it into the away end on Sunday, the noise levels rose by several decibels, not just because of the firecrackers they set off at regular intervals.

“We are from Catanzaro”, they chanted proudly. “We are not Sicilians.”

Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just it-does-what-it-says-on-the-tin stuff.

Which is exactly what Catanzaro have been doing under Fabio Caserta this season.

The Giallorossi may not win any aesthetic points, but their style is refreshingly simple in an era where the obsession with system football is near-endemic.

A midfield of willing runners, an old-fashioned target man in Pietro Iemmello who can both score goals – only Cesena striker Cristian Shpendi has more in Serie B this season  – and make a nuisance of himself when required.

It is a simple recipe but a successful one too. Sunday’s 2-1 win in Palermo extended Catanzaro’s unbeaten streak to 11 matches and lifted them into eighth place, right in the play-off mix.

The Calabrians may have only won four times this season, but fourth-placed Cremonese are only two points ahead.

Last season’s fifth-place finish and the subsequent defeat in the play-offs semi-final no longer seems like a flash in the pan.

Coming shortly after the Catanzaro ultras were allowed into the ground, Palermo’s equaliser must have felt like a slap in the face for those in the away end.

In a city where everything moves slowly, the rain swept over the ground at such speed and with such ferocity, you briefly wondered whether the intent here was to make this as miserable an experience as possible for everyone involved.

Festive cheer be damned. 

If travelling to Palermo and spending their hard-earned money before Christmas wasn’t enough to prove their commitment, now Catanzaro fans would have to stand in a biblical downpour for two hours.

It was a timely reminder that there is nothing remotely sensible about being a football fan. 

In what other environment would choosing to be drenched to your bones be tolerated and embraced?

And yet, when Marco Pompetti swung a superb left-footed effort in the top corner eight minutes from time, not even the most torrential of rains could dampen the spirits of those in the away end, which erupted in jubilation.

By the time the travelling contingent saluted their players with scarves held aloft at full-time, even the rain had relented.

In the end, it was all worth it.

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