Il reality Cervia / l'Unità AS Cervia 1920 militates in Group B of Excellence Emilia Romagna. In its history, walks slowly towards the centenary, there has never been the professionalism, grazing in the sixties and early in this millennium.
On the other hand, however, there was a reality show that has managed to bring a team of amateurs to national prominence for two years, in which the Cervia, rebuilt ad hoc, has come under the cameras, passionate girls and boys for the deeds and the story of Lorenzo English rather than David Bertaccini, Cristian Arrieta instead of Diego Armando Maradona junior.
It was called "Champions, the dream" but after five years the dream has vanished and the samples have never known. Many of those players still play among amateurs, others have tried their luck on television, almost everyone, some more than others, have decided to be fascinated by normality.
"I had never seen a football team that went down in the field with the 3 / 11 decided by the public defender, a midfielder and a striker who upset the work of the coach, being able to follow directly the dynamics that went crazy within the squad, "recalls Frederick Lampredi Leghorn, one of the authors of the program designed by Stefano and Alessandro Magnaghi Saba directed by Roberto Cenci. Initially it was a shock
movement that swept and spectators. In Italy he had never seen a reality show about a team of amateur football, thanks to television and a major sponsor could aspire to flap unthinkable, touching the C series and participating for the first time the Italian Cup (losing 6-0 against Ascoli). According
Lampredi GF11 today, the reality was not weak, if anything, stop it was a wasted opportunity: "Make 40,000 spectators, including 25,000 children, with the Favorita, Palermo, after the league game against Juventus was amazing, just like when Shevchenko's autograph asked to Giuffrida. Maybe it's not the number of women, to tell the kids even outside of football, "sighs swearing eternal love to the one that feels like one of his most successful creatures, for the record Lampredi wrote the lyrics Ilaria D'Amico.
The costs, however, says: "We followed a team of country with the means of Series A costly? Compared to what? Beyond the reality of snobbery as a means of communication for the network that broadcast, I am convinced that we have told the football seen from below, as no one has ever done before and after. "
Cervia opponents and narrated as Don Camillo and Peppone, a suggestion which has cost 30 million Euros in the first year and 15 the second, "But this program - Lampredi insists - has a great future," paventando un ritorno al reality calcio, magari una volta ripresi dalla sbornia di questi ultimi anni.
Qualche scoria è rimasta: «… eravamo finti ma sembravamo veri, eravamo catorci ma sembravamo Porsche», ha ricordato Emanuele Morelli, oggi assicuratore a Milano Marittima; Manuel Paesani, bersaglio preferito della Gialappa’s e dell’allenatore, Ciccio Graziani, è finito a fare il tronista a “Uomini e Donne”: «Non avevo voglia di restare a farmi insultare senza poter ribattere. È stata un’esperienza che non mi ha lasciato molto, perché devi frequentare le feste e a me non andava di stare in quel mondo», oggi gioca nel Castrocaro.
Francesco Gullo, che millantava un Basel in the past, opened a football school, Daniele Rossi became a lawyer, Giorgio Alfieri went from "Men and Women" and then make an appearance in the film "Vita Smeralda". Most, however, continued to play football.
The first edition was won by Cristian Arrieta, English and Lorenzo Fabio Borriello, brother of the real one, who did the preparation with Inter, Juventus and Milan. Borriello has played three years in C2, then in the Swiss B to get there, too, to "Men and Women." Spain now plays nell'Imolese Excellence in after a few seasons in C2 and maybe that's what we believed more, though once said: 'footballing not talking about it again, "being in the heart of those two years of living dangerously and the month with Juventus. Arrieta is probably what he has done more career and now plays in MLS with the Philadelphia Union. After the dream has played in Lecce, Lecce and internet has arrived in Puerto Rico, the largest two seasons with the Islanders, in a kind of series B U.S., and then make the jump.
wasted opportunity? Maybe. We, however, a doubt remains that, Cervia reality aside, the football does not interest younger audiences large and, if true, that we are made of such stuff as dreams, obviously we have only the head champions, allowing television.
Francesco Graziani Francesco Graziani is perhaps the only true winner of Champions, the dream. " The football coach in that episode after episode, has built a new media image, then revived as a commentator and not only. We
a budget? "It was a very beautiful from every point of view. I like to train, do it through the television was important because it showed my best side, appreciated by the public, especially young people. "
What was the material available? "We had the opportunity to give a dream to Cervia and also to many guys, thanks to the visibility that the program would give him, knowing that we had to fight with stronger teams than ours. I found great guys, polite, respectful and good to play well. "
more or less ... "I had to have good players, even some of the strongest class, but this was not simply to make a competitive training."
mean? "It was still a reality, so when the specimens were kept in mind both the telegenic talent is certainly there was some good with the ball, but unsuitable for the program and then the logic of reality has prevailed."
Why has closed after two seasons? I do not know, it certainly was an expensive project, but the idea is still to do it again. The strongest memory was the match against Palermo, in front of 40,000 people. Here at that time we were aware of the interest that we had raised with the Cervia and a group of young strangers who had become a national idol. "
do it again? "With other characters, even when it is lowered inflation in reality television, but sometimes the heads of Mediaset tell me to keep myself ready."
It is true that other teams will not bore you? "Jokes. Whenever there was a game for only € 15,000 took place the cameras, the more the public. I remember once we went to a country that was generally 80-100 spectators were forced to assemble the stands of pipe and made 2,500 innocent paying the chairman told me that with that money would go on for another five, six, years. "
But the minor football on television does not have all this space? "If I'm not mistaken, Rai send an advance and a delay of D series, but can not cover all the teams. The TV promotion is essential, other groups have made false papers while to have our Cervia, not to mention led every Sunday brought thousands of people in the city. "
The player and the older boy good? "Lorenzo Spagnoli was definitely the most talented, Bertaccini while David was a wonderful guy, wonderful."
Bertaccini remained Cervia, while on the bench came Matteo Domeniconi, also formerly of reality, both shaped by Ciccio Graziani. His résumé also appeared in two films by Lino Banfi and I Cesaroni, but broke through with the simplicity of dreams.