The secret veteran: The man at the FCS wheel

It's Tuesday afternoon, two days before kick-off in Genoa. At the FCS Center in Rungg, coach Pierpaolo Bisoli has just come out of the press room, where he answered questions from journalists as usual in front of the entire group. In the next room, grilled fish and lunch for the players are served, among other things. For good reason, because what is probably the most spectacular away trip of the season is about to begin. It's just before 14 p.m. and a silhouette slowly appears on the horizon, transforming itself into a clearer image second by second: the stylish FCS bus drives up to the ultra-modern training center.

Once the heavy vehicle is parked, Albert Gasser also gets out. “Ciao Gass,” he is greeted by striker Simone Mazzocchi before he has even left the steps of his workplace. It doesn't take long before a strong “Hey, Gass” from goalie coach Max Marini echoes across the parking lot. And there is also a short, amusing banter with captain Fabian Tait.

Albert Gasser in front of the FCS bus.

Retired for six years, but... Albert Gasser, 66 years old, originally from Mühlwald, but has lived in Freienfeld for decades, is very popular with players, supervisors and coaches. Because he is the “away fan” at the FCS who is almost always there: For 18 years now, the bus driver has been chauffeuring the White Reds’ professional footballers across Italy to games away from the Drusus Stadium. “I've actually been retired for six years, but doing absolutely nothing isn't possible. And this is my passion,” explains Gasser, who works for the Pizzinini bus company. This company is a shareholder in FC Südtirol and has been there since the early years. “On my first trip we stopped at a place of pilgrimage – and then we won.” Albert Gasser The bus in the FCS Center is now fully loaded. Jerseys, training material and tactics boards are stowed away, the players are in their seats. So Albert Gasser gets the 14-ton colossus under his feet moving and the journey begins. First to Piacenza, where the FCS entourage will spend the night, before traveling on to Genoa the next day, where the match is on Thursday. The bus driver reminisces: “I made my first trip with FC Südtirol under Attilio Tesser, that was 18 years ago. The game was in San Benedetto del Tronto. It wasn't a good moment for the team at the time, so we stopped on the journey at the well-known pilgrimage site of Loreto. That was lucky, we won.”

From Spain to Sicily Since then, there have been countless trips for Gasser. At first he took turns with colleagues, but for several years now he has been on every out-of-town trip by bus. “That has always been my passion. I used to be a long-distance truck driver for 22 years, traveling all over Europe, from Spain to Sicily. I have been employed by the Pizzinini bus company since 2000 and that’s how it came about with FC Südtirol.” “I look for ways.” Albert Gasser Thursday in Genoa. Only a few hours left until the game. It is fresh in the Ligurian port city, the sea wind whistles through the Renaissance and Baroque walls of the city. It won't be long before we're off to the Marassi. “We have to be at the stadium an hour and a half before kick-off,” says Albert Gasser, who therefore plans the route from the team hotel “AC Hotel Genova by Marriot” exactly in advance. “I am a bus driver who makes sure things continue. I'm looking for ways.” A statement that could easily come from a game speech by coach Pierpaolo Bisoli.

The Marassi Stadium is a feast for the eyes.

The 66-year-old watches the game itself every time from the stands. There is no sense of success against Genoa this time, The “FC”, as Gasser calls it, has to leave the field as a loser for the first time after 12 unbeaten games. There isn't much time to think about how and why in the cabin. We quickly shower, change and get on the bus. “When they travel home, the players usually spend their time on their cell phones. “We used to show films on the bus from time to time, but that’s out now,” says Gasser.

Party atmosphere and dark moments Gasser firmly denies that the journey home is always as quiet as it was this Thursday. “When the team sealed promotion to Serie B in Trieste last April, the bus became a party vehicle. “One or two of them got a bit caught up,” smiles Gasser. But he also remembers a not so pleasant trip home, namely the one from eleven years ago, when FC Südtirol lost the decisive playout game in Ravenna due to an inexplicable dropout by Davide Zomer and was relegated from Serie C1 (but then was brought back into the league via association channels). “The mood has never been as dark as it was back then,” remembers Gasser.

FC Südtirol had to admit defeat to Genoa.

Back to the present. When you look out the bus window, the Ligurian evening gradually gives way to the South Tyrolean night. After about five hours of driving, Gasser maneuvers his vehicle into the parking lot of the FCS Center shortly before midnight. The exhausted players can finally swap the cramped bus seats for their feather-soft beds, but for the bus chauffeur the day is far from over. He now goes to Brixen, where he carefully parks the FCS bus in the designated garage, straightens the seats, disposes of the garbage and starts a quick cleaning process. Albert Gasser then gets into his slightly smaller private car and drives to Freienfeld, where a long but eventful day ends well after midnight.

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
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The secret veteran: The man at the FCS wheel

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