Zdenek Zeman, born in Prague on 12 May 1947 and citizen of….Pescara! No, it’s not a joke but a concrete possibility. On 8 May 2024, the centre-left municipal councilor Mirko Frattarelli registered the request, addressed to the mayor Carlo Masci, to confer honorary citizenship on the Bohemian technician, also defined in this circumstance as “Maestro”. The institution of honorary citizenship constitutes an official and honorific recognition for those who, not being registered in the municipal registry office, have particularly distinguished themselves for particular merits/actions which have had a happy impact on the city, making its prestige higher, and according to the councilor Frattarelli, the now former Biancazzurro coach (3 experiences for him on the bench of the city team) also meets the moral requirements to be awarded this prestigious award.
“It is a duty on the part of the institutions to recognize Zeman as honorary citizenship”, said Frattarelli after making his initiative public. “The bond between the coach and the city of Pescara is there for all to see and should be celebrated in the best possible way. Giving honorary citizenship to Zeman would mean sealing the love relationship between the coach and the city of Pescara. The institutions cannot fail to take this into account. The Bohemian has undoubtedly left indelible memories in the city of Pescara”.
In the document in which the councilor invites the mayor and the council to confer honorary citizenship on Zeman, both his sporting and human and moral merits are highlighted (self-sacrifice, culture of work, sacrifice, respect and generosity, i.e. “virtues that are difficult to found in modern football”, but also his fight for clean football) which are the basis of the request. Among these the contribution to the enhancement of the sporting, footballing and image heritage of the city, thanks to the successes that have given prestige to the area, but also the well-known characteristics that have made “Sdengo” a symbol of legality in the sporting world, of moral rigour, of fairness, humility and sacrifice. The request also recalls, very precisely, the 2011-12 ride with ZZ at the helm and the trio of wonders Immobile-Verratti-Insigne on the pitch, culminating with the promotion to Serie A 20 years after the last one (“It wouldn’t be there could have been the best possible conclusion for such a strong love story, in an environment that was in perfect harmony and symbiosis with Zemanian philosophy”, we read). Zednek Zeman has unquestionably contributed to the sporting heritage of our territory, to the prestige and promotion of our city. “The strong football bond between Pescara football and Zednek Zeman is evident. But the relationship of love, affection and esteem of the people of Pescara towards a true master of football and life, who has given and continues to to give so much to Pescara football and to the city”, is an excerpt from the request.
But beyond purely football issues, the request recalls that “over the years, Zednek Zeman has repeatedly praised the city of Pescara, its seafront, the good food and the warmth of the fans, especially after the promotion to Serie A , when the cheering bus with the team and staff on it toured the city, in front of thousands of ecstatic Pescara residents” and which “brought our territory to the national and international limelight” because both the football team and the city “are been under the spotlight of the most important newspapers, as well as the subject of television programs and special broadcasts dedicated to Zeman’s Pescara, also with promotional services of the city and its history”. Finally, Zeman’s moral battles and results are remembered, making him a transversal icon of football beyond the flags.
