The Spoils of War

Photo courtesy of Club Napoli Due Sicilie

Before today’s home match between Serie A champions Napoli and Fiorentina, the ultras of Curva B provocatively unfurled their banners and an inverted tricolor shield. Reading “Bottino di Guerra” and “Campioni in Italia” the message couldn’t be clearer: Naples is not Italy! The Italian shield represents captured war loot by the champions in Italy, not of Italy, meaning Naples remembers its storied past as a capital of an ancient kingdom before being reduced to a provincial backwater in the unified state. Traditionally worn as a badge of honor by the victors, for us, it symbolizes the spoils of war.

It is customary for rival ultra groups to flaunt their booty and display it upside down in the stands to gloat and disrespect their bested adversaries. We’ve seen this earlier in the year when supporters of Red Star Belgrade burned captured Roma banners with a sign reading “You chose the wrong friends.” The Serbian side is twinned with Napoli while their rivals Dinamo Zagreb are twinned with Roma.[1]

As an aside, Napoli continued our dominance in the league by defeating in-form Fiorentina 1-0.

After the match, the team officially celebrated with their fans with music, fireworks and a spectacular light show inside the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. I especially love how the Napoli fans co-opted the derisive anti-Neapolitan chant "Vesuvio Erutta" and turned it into an anthem. Grazie ragazzi e Forza Napoli Sempre!
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[1] Following the match between Roma and Empoli on February 4th at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, some fifty Red Star Belgrade and Napoli ultras ambushed and stole Fedayn and other Roma banners.