Those who know me probably know of my interest – which I cultivate between the serious and the facetious – for football and, in particular, Bari. Thus, also to play down and dilute the disappointment of the fans (I don’t like the word fans too much , because it is often combined with extremes that have little to do with sport), I try to think of music suitable for commenting on the current situation in Bari.
One, little known in Italy, is the work of a great American composer of the early twentieth century, Charles Ives; the other by a cultured, original and solitary Italian singer-songwriter, Franco Battiato.
Of Ives I therefore think of The Unanswered Question, the unanswered question; it is a piece for strings, four flutes and a trumpet, it lasts a few minutes, it is a masterpiece. In a livid and thoughtful atmosphere, with chords that resonate from distant worlds, a phrase from the trumpet stands out, which seems to be a question, an interrogative. Disturbing, mysterious, and unanswerable perhaps because the question is itself too complex, metaphysical. If you don’t know him, listen to him.
Of Franco Battiato I think, instead, of The cureone of his most intense songs, which contains the words: «Because you are a special being, and I will take care of you».
Why exactly these works?
In the case of Ives, because I found a lack of transparency and a certain reticence on the part of the red and white society in some situations. I am thinking, for example, of the press conference that Luigi De Laurentiis gave to journalists in July during his retreat, but above all of the long silences of sporting director Ciro Polito, starting last summer. And I clearly remember the feeling that we were starting off badly: many questions (think of those relating to Caprile and Cheddira) remained unanswered.
Or the real answer is that Bari is subordinate to Napoli, and that in the logic of the Filmauro company, Bari’s presence is precisely linked to its role as “team B”, functional to the interests of the other. And don’t tell me that “it’s not worth having Bari in B”, because if it wasn’t worth it, a pitched battle wouldn’t have been waged for the extension of the timeshare.
As for “The cure“, well, I think that the worst thing about the current season, but not only this one, was the perception of a lack of “care”, of attention, of that “really caring”, which the city of Bari, the red and white team and its formidable supporters certainly deserve it. When the Municipality assigned the sports title to Filmauro, it had very different expectations, and was confident in a sports centre, for example.
Here, I believe that the sports center is the real dividing line: when a club wants to actually realize it, enhancing the potential of youth football capable of producing talents, currently too often forced to leave, then it will be time to trust them.
So far I have listened to speeches full of managerial terms, but devoid of empathy, of the ability to relate to people’s hearts, of “care” – precisely.
We need to feel central in a project, no longer on the periphery (or worse, “low butcher’s shop”, to quote a lovely aside from Aurelio De Laurentiis).
And not only of substantial investments, necessary to make the leap in quality, but also and above all of competent market choices that know how to enhance these resources.
We need attention, a warmth that is not the aseptic one you learn in marketing courses, but something real, tangible, affectionate.
But is football still capable of feelings? Perhaps this is the real unanswered question.
