Fiorentina Give their Last Ciao to Davide Astori

Photo Credit: Getty

Life teaches us the inevitability of tragedy and pain. And in the difficult moments, the worst of them, we are offered a newfound clarity. The clarity that our time together is limited and that it should be appreciated. A quote that has been shared quite a bit frequently comes from Pope John Paul II. “Amongst all unimportant subjects, football is by far the most important.” We are reminded that football is a game -- albeit one that we love and one that bonds us. But there are so many other things that take precedent. A truth best shown through the Fiorentina supporters reaction to the arrival of the Juventus players at Davide’s funeral, which took place last Thursday in Florence. It has to be noted that Fiorentina share a hostile, bitter rivalry with Juve, with most of the animosity directed from Firenze to Torino. And yet, Buffon and co. were applauded and cheered as they arrived to the Basilica di Santa Croce, something that would be unheard of in any other situation. Sport, though seemingly always separating us, finds its way to unite us in the end.

Photo Credit: Stadium Astro

Davide Astori. By all accounts, a gracious, humble, kind human being. One of the best of us. The type that you wanted near you. The type that was fit to captain a football team. Though surely so much more, Davide was a great man who will be a great loss to all those around him. From my distanced, casual perspective, one thing that always struck me about Davide was how many opponents came up to share a word and a smile with him in the tunnel before the match started. I’d never seen anything like it. Though quite clearly an ultimate competitor, he had the respect and affection of so many of his rivals.

And so, on a dreary, surreal afternoon at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence said their last ciao to their captain. From the moment the players were in the tunnel through the moments of silence at the center circle, there wasn’t a sound in the stadium. As the RAI commentator noted, it was an inusuale silence, where you could “hear a fly passing by.” The grey skies, the pained faces, the signs of tribute draped throughout the tifosi -- obviously, this match had a different feel. Some of the signs read, “The tears of an entire city, linked from here to eternity” and “Nobody dies as long as they live in your heart.” The players had warmed up wearing shirts bearing their late captain’s name, as did the children who accompanied the players out onto the pitch. As the Fiorentina players lined up, they held a banner reading “Ciao Davide.” Before kickoff, the fans then released purple and white balloons after the

minutes silence, an image that will be etched into the memories of all Fiorentini, no doubt.

Photo Credit: Citizen Digital

In another beautiful gesture, the ball was played out at minute 13, Davide’s number, and the supporters honored Davide by holding placards showing his name and number against a backdrop of purple. Understandably, the players looked lethargic throughout the match. It all felt somewhat insignificant. And yet, in the 25th minute Vitor Hugo rose to put a towering header past the Benevento keeper, a defender’s goal that would have made his captain proud, offering a cathartic moment for both the players and the fans. The Fiorentina players gathered together, only a few of them smiling, before the Brazilian ran to the touch line and held up a shirt with an image of Astori amid applause for the stadium. He then saluted the shirt, and the match, like life, promptly went on. And just after the goal, as if predestined, the rain began to increase. The first half failed to produce much else.

Photo Credit: TuttoSport

The second half began just as listless, but soon enough Benevento began to play like a team with plans to stay in Serie A next season. Pushing forward with purpose, Benevento continued to pressure la Viola without actually creating many clear scoring opportunities. Fiorentina defended well, but the game began to grow chaotic in the wet conditions, with several misplaced passes and poor touches. Fiorentina were presented a golden chance to score a second through Milan Badelj, who wore the captain’s armband for the day. The Croat’s long distance shot rifled off the post, only for the rebound to fall perfectly to Benassi. With the goal at his mercy, the Italian inexplicably blasted his shot over the bar. Badelj, who spoke beautifully at Astori’s funeral, said after the match that, “I will try to do my best to maintain his spirit not just alive, but always present and tangible to all of us who were close to him.” After four minutes of added time, the ref blew the whistle and Fiorentina were awarded the three points of a match that served as so much more than a match. Several of the Fiorentina players fell to the ground at the final whistle. Many of them with heads hung and tears in the eyes made their way towards the curva. The players and the fans, united in their sorrow, gave one last cheer and one last goodbye to Davide. Buon viaggio capitano.