Savoia, l'intervista al Principe Emanuele Filiberto: «Vogliamo la serie B. Lo stadio? Una vergogna»

Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, honorary president of the football team, has only one goal: Serie B. And so does president Nazario Matachione. At Il Mattino, in the setting of the San Pietro Bistrot restaurant, the Prince recounts his story and that of Savoia Calcio. From future ambitions to promotion to the stadium issue. "Savoia is Torre Annunziata. Knowing that in 1908, three pasta factory owners named the team "Savoia Calcio" is a wonderful thing, even more so after Torre Annunziata retained the name in 1949. I am very grateful. But the Savoia project is global; it is a name that has unified Italy: I want the project to involve the whole of Italy." The first meeting with Nazario: "We were in front of a small restaurant in Torre Annunziata where there were three fans who had just saved the team from bankruptcy. We asked for his trust. From excellence to Serie C, we kept our promise." Savoia and legality: "The slogan we created is 'Let's kick the Camorra out.' Today, I can't just take a Camorra member's son and cast him aside, otherwise the club won't move forward. We need to integrate everyone. We want to give them a chance for rebirth, especially through our sports academy. This is the true Savoia project. We give hundreds of kids the opportunity to experience football. We've never had any problems with the Camorra. Nazario protects us all. Personally, I've never heard of any problems, and I'm certain there haven't been any." The relationship with the President: "President Matachione is incredibly important. I arrived three years ago when we didn't know each other, but I immediately felt great trust. I don't usually trust people right away, but I immediately placed it in him. We've come a long way, as he promised at the beginning of the season; we've reached Serie C. I talk to Nazario more than my mother; we tell each other everything. I will always be grateful to him; he's someone who put everything aside and manages this project 24/7. I know he did it for me and for the region. Our first meeting was a video conference, and he was the only one speaking (laughs). But he spoke correctly; he was already the owner of Savoia. I told him he's my Garibaldi: let's unite football, let's unite Italy." The promotion celebration: "When we were promoted, I was in Los Angeles. I watched the match on TV at 5 in the morning. At the first goal, I shed a tear, then the second, and finally I cried with joy. Then I saw my friend Nazario celebrating, and I'm so happy. Tomorrow we'll have a big party. I always thought we could do it, but I didn't want to believe it. Now we're celebrating, but from Sunday onwards, we'll stop. We need to work to build a good team for Serie C. I'd like us to advance to Serie B in the next two years. Now that we're in Serie C, we need the help of local businesses; Nazario and I can't do it alone." On the stadium: "Work on the stadium has begun; in 120 days, we'll have a usable facility. But this means we can't play the first matches at home: it's a disgrace. The politicians haven't followed us; we'd also like to increase the capacity to 9,000. But they won't be ready for the start of the season. They had a year to do the work. Torre Annunziata deserves a beautiful stadium. By regulation, we need to find a venue to host us; it could be nearby or in Northern Italy: the Savoia project must be visible throughout Italy. Let's not disappoint the fans; they should be unhappy with what the city administration has done. I tell the fans that we must be a role model; when we represent Savoia, I demand a composed fan base. The Savoia project has a catchment area of ​​over 7.4 million people; we have a huge catchment area. Savoia is more than a city, it's a dream."