From Ghiggia to Pedro: UTR president on 67 years of supporting Roma

We spoke to Fabrizio Grassetti, president of Unione Tifosi Romanisti, to reflect on almost seven full decades of supporting Roma...

UTR, one of the biggest Roma fan groups in the city, are a core part of the Giallorossi identity - and Grassetti certainly plays his part in that as the fan club's current president.

It's now more than 67 years since Grassetti witnessed his first game in person - and he insists that the excitement and tension ahead of each game has not changed one bit in the decades since...

What do you remember about your first trip to the Olimpico?

“It was the last day of the 1952-53 season. I was nine years old. That was the match that saw the return of Amos Cardarelli – who had been supposed to go to the Helsinki Olympics a year earlier.

“Unfortunately Amos, who Roma fans always had a soft spot for, got struck down by pleurisy and was unable to play football for a long time. So everyone’s attention was focused on his return that day.

“The game wasn’t great, the pitch was heavy after a lot of rain. But Cardarelli’s performance was good.”

Of past meetings with Juventus, is there one that stands out as more memorable than all the rest for you?

“I could mention so many of them. The one that comes to mind immediately is from the 1960-61 season, when we won 2-1 thanks to goals from Manfredini and Lojacono.

“Lojacono had dislocated his arm after a brutal challenge from behind by Boniperti – but he continued to play on, with his arm in a sling, a bit like Franz Beckenbauer against Italy in the 1970 World Cup. In the second half he scored with a incredible strike that flew in just under the bar. It was an epic game.

“Another memorable Roma-Juventus was the one where we won 1-0 thanks to a late own goal from the defender Bercellino [in 1966]. For a fan, winning like that was amazing.”

Over the years, has the excitement at walking into the Olimpico for the first game of the season waned at all?

“It will seem impossible to you, but it has remained exactly the same. It’s always an emotional moment. They are all pages from a book that you cannot skip over.”

So you’ve never missed an opening game?

“I’m aware that it could make me seem strange to admit it, but yes: I have never missed even one of them. I have had the privilege of being at the stadium for every single first home game of the season for Roma. After that first match against SPAL, since then I have always been a season ticket holder.”

So you remember the first time you went to the Olimpico for the opening day of the season?

“Of course, it was the first game after that SPAL match – against Genoa, on 13 September 1953. There was a huge amoun of excitement surrounding the debut of Alcides Ghiggia. He’d already been presented to the fans during the friendly against Charlton.

“Anyway, against Genoa we won 4-0. You can imagine the happiness: not just to see all those goals on the first day of the season, but also to be able to watch a World Cup winner in action.”

How weird will it be to have to watch a game like this from in front of the television; without the presence of the fans or the chants and the passion of the Curva Sud?

“It will be incredibly sad. It’ll be a celebration missed. I think it will give us all a sense of emptiness. This virus, this problem we simply have to eradicate, is having an impact on all aspects of modern life. On Sunday the colours and the songs of the Roma fans will be missing.”

What do you think about the work the club has done during the Coronavirus emergency, to try to help the most vulnerable among society?

“Every time I became aware of a new initiative from Roma, I felt incredibly proud to be a Roma supporter. I’m thinking about the care packages that were delivered in the Roma vans to those less fortunate, I’m thinking about all the initiatives put in place to make fans feel closer to the club despite the distance at the time. I’m thinking about all the work done by Roma Cares during that period.

“It also pleases me to remember the solidarity shown by individual fans, and fan clubs too. We should all be proud of what was done during the crisis, first and foremost among those being the club.”

How hard was it not to be able to support Roma from the stands in the second half of last season?

“It was terrible. It was torture. I really missed the Olimpico. Right now, to stay close to our fan club and our members, we are organising things to be able to watch the games all together. Respecting all the safety and social distancing measures, of course.”

Among those fans that have supported the club from the stands recently have been Dan and Ryan Friedkin. What did you make of their first interview and, overall, their first few weeks running the club?

“Seeing those two at the Bentegodi – following the team, staying close to the team – while observing the social distancing protocols despite being father and son, for me it was a very, very positive sign. They went with the team for an away game, against an opponent that isn’t as glamorous as some others. I like this approach.

“Their silence during this period is also a sign of seriousness. When they do next speak, I am sure that they will not offer empty promises – when they speak it will be to underline concrete facts.”

What did you make of Paulo Fonseca’s first season in charge, and what do you expect from the second?

“I always say that a fan needs to be a fan – not a coach or an assessor. It’s not right to offer judgements of a tactical nature. As a person, I can say that Fonseca has always presented himself well: he has the right style, the right approach. As far as expectations go, we have to wait until the transfer window closes.

“Either way, whenever a new season starts we always dream of winning everything. Us Roma fans are eternally Peter Pan.”