Bologna on my mind: The bill, please! (18 April)

Written by: Massimo Sampaolesi. Translated by: Carlotta Belluzzi.

It’s the first time that this happens: I want the championship to end. I’m neither angry nor happy, neither content nor dissatisfied. I’m bored. In the rossoblu offices, people will probably be already discussing the team’s future, their prospects for the next championship. However, what pains me is that all of that seems far, too far away: even the transfer market, that moment when we collate all our desires, and when dreams and hopes can run free. These 6 remaining matches will not mean much to us; we will not be anxious, or excited, or scared. In this purgatorial lukewarm state, BFC will swing between mildly positive results and unsurprising defeats – none of which will make our blood boil or ruin our summer holidays.

So? I stop and think about it: I understand. I realize that it’s entirely true that Bologna is something unique. I realize that red and blue will never only represent two colours, and that the boredom by which I am afflicted, does not affect the team that I love. Even the useless match against Pescara will be a moment of focus and tension: my team is playing, quiet please! Let alone those final matches against Milan and Juventus, two big teams which we would like to face as equals.

I am just a football fan, but I am also lucky enough to be able as a journalist, swinging between passion and clarity, stories about the team I love. But there’s a determining factor that needs to be considered: this passion should never be set aside and forgotten, as it happens to those things we get used to having around. We are all on the same boat, like the restaurant owner and the restaurant lover. Like a loyal customer, I would like my dish to be THE BEST dish. I would like the “chefs” at BFC to think about my palate when they serve up their food, to help me feel full and satisfied. I want there to be this atmosphere, always, whether they are playing, training, or deciding who to sell at the next transfer market. I know that, in order to prepare good food, you must go shopping first, and work on a budget. But, some dishes do not require much money, and they still taste good. Isn’t simple cooking characteristic of our country?

And yet, we are surrounded by disheartening statistics: foreboding numbers referring to our colours. And the fans are tired, disenfranchised, disillusioned, and the final matches of this season risk making the situation even worse. In fact – I know they will, and it’s understandable. If there is no way that our enthusiasm can rise again this season, let us focus on making it better for the next championship. Let us smell those inviting scents that make “home” and “pleasure” become one. We will still be loyal customers, and there’s a table booked under my name for next year. Let’s just hope that we will not have to wait for too long. Service, in a restaurant, is fundamental, when it comes to paying the bill.

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