I could totally see EDF being Baldini’s choice. He had the say on coaches back when he was working with Saba, and it seems like he has a similar role now. Monchi was supposedly interested in Marcelino when we were coach shopping.
not that anyone cares, but my experience in florence at the roma game was rather comical... i'm working a show this weekend at the nelson mandela forum, which is on the same piece of land as the artemio franchi. our local fixer is from rome and a HUGE roma fan, so i asked for her to secure 4 tickets to the game on saturday in the roma section. she talked to the people who run the forum and artemio franchi and arranged us four tickets. when we got to the stadium, i was decked out in full roma gear. (jersey, coat, scarf) we went to the location we were told to pick up our tickets and were told our tickets weren't there, they were available in the fiorentina store. we walked that way, and when i got about half a block from the store, the fiorentina ultras who were gathered around the store all stopped what they were doing and turned towards me, licking their chops. one of them motioned to me to come on over, and my instincts told me that PROBABLY wasn't the best idea. at about that time a security guard came over and told me i wasn't allowed to be there and i needed to go back to the first ticket location. i told him they sent me here and he said that doesn't matter, you can't be here... so security escorted my friends and i back to the original ticket booth. the original ticket booth was surprised to see me and once again told me i needed to go back the other direction, to which security told them "not happening." i called my friend in rome that got us the tickets and let her talk to the ticketing and security agents. apparently, she name dropped who gave me the tickets, because all of a sudden, both sides became very helpful. before we knew it, there were eight security guards surrounding us, taking us into enemy grounds to get our tickets through back alleys, telling us to stop and wait every time we approached a corner so they could see who was coming. eventually, they take us past the ticket line and into the ticketing store where surprise, our tickets AREN'T in the roma section, and i have no other clothing but roma gear. the ONLY way they agree to let me enter the stadium was if i put electrical tape over the roma and nike logos on my jacket... so here's my dumb american ass trying to enter the stadium when gate security notices a bulge in my jacket pocket. they tell me i'm not allowed to bring water into the stadium. "cool, i'm not." "what's in your jacket pocket?" "a scarf" "let me see it" "it's a roma scarf" you'd of thought i made an assassination threat on the fiorentina manager or something... all hell broke loose, and before i know it i was having to explain i'm not trying to cause trouble in a language i can't really speak... i'm a stupid tourist who thought he had tickets in the roma section! eventually they let me go in under the promise i won't pull out my scarf or reveal myself as a roma fan in any way, shape or form. the entire game i sat there, surrounded by the enemy, doing my best not to give away my allegiance to roma. i felt like an undercover agent... when florenzi scored the game tying goal i couldn't help it anymore and i jumped out of my seat and screamed. that probably wasn't the best idea, but i was tired of pretending to be something i'm not, so i celebrated, sat down, and kept my head on a swivel so i wouldn't get shanked. my apologies for covering up the roma crest, but i was getting into that game... i would have much rather watched the game with my roma family, but the story's still pretty awesome...
LMAO. Never wear your gear at an away match... just not smart. In '93 I went to Roma-Juve with my; wife, brother, cousin (lives in Rome) his friend and his friends son who was about 11 or 12. I remember my cousins friend having a very serious discussion with his son as they were both Juve fans. He made it clear that his son was not to wear any Juve gear and in no way was he allowed to even cheer for Juve no matter what happened.
like i said, i was told our tickets were in the roma section. no way in hell i'd wear anything but roma gear in the roma section, even at an away game. if i'd have known that's NOT where our tickets were, i would have worn something different.