Manuel Scavone: “We are planning our future in Bolzano”

With a 2-0 win in the direct relegation duel against Cosenza, Pordenone secured relegation last week and at the same time condemned the southern Italians to go into the third division. “A huge weight has been lifted from our hearts. “We really celebrated in the dressing room afterwards,” says Manuel Scavone, who also admits: “The goals before the start of the season were actually completely different.” Played with a broken toe, then Corona Pordenone was on course for the playoffs for a long time with Scavone's former FCS coach Attilio Tesser, but then stumbled badly. “Suddenly everything went wrong. Due to several corona cases in the team, we sometimes only traveled to the games with 12 or 13 professionals,” remembers Scavone, who even had to play against champions Empoli with a broken toe due to personnel reasons and then tested positive for corona himself the following day. “After the game I felt completely exhausted. “It wasn’t an easy time.” Tesser didn’t survive it in the dugout. He was replaced on the sidelines by ex-Napoli professional Maurizio Domizzi. “I've known Tesser for what feels like forever, he's a great trainer. I felt incredibly sorry for him, but because of the relegation, you can't blame the club," said Scavone, who made 31 appearances over the course of the season.

In general, the midfielder from Bolzano feels “incredibly comfortable” in Pordenone. It is a small, beautiful town, the environment is just as quiet as that of FC Südtirol. Scavone can therefore definitely imagine staying. However, there is a catch: the transfer rights are held by his parent club Bari, which is currently playing in the third division playoffs for promotion to Serie B. The southern Italians' squad plans have been postponed until the end of the season.

Celebrations at Pordenone: Relegation was decided at the last minute. © Pordenone Calcio

Scavone is in no hurry to plan for the future because he is now “looking forward to a real vacation. Since I almost played through the playoffs at Bari last summer, the last real break was a long time ago." Scavone and his family of four want to spend most of their time in South Tyrol. In any case, he is planning his long-term future in his hometown. “We try very hard to raise our children bilingually. We agree that they will grow up in Bolzano,” reveals Scavone. “The league has never been a primary criterion for my moves” The soon-to-be 34-year-old leaves it open whether the move to South Tyrol will only take place after his active career or perhaps earlier: “The contact with FC Südtirol has never been broken. It has now been 11 years since I left, but the club is very close to my heart. I hope that I can play in white and red again.” He doesn’t make a possible return dependent on league membership. “That has never been a primary criterion for my changes. I care about the project. If I hadn't always started a league lower, I wouldn't have been promoted so often," laughs the veteran, whose career has taken him through many positions from north to south, from Parma to Lecce.

Whether Scavone will play in Pordenone, Bari, Bolzano or perhaps somewhere else next season will become clear by summer at the latest. Until then, the following applies to him: let the strains of the turbulent Serie B season sink in and enjoy a well-deserved vacation with the family.

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Parma	34	59:32	70
2. As	34	54:37	67
3. Venice	34	62:39	64
4. Cremonese	34	43:28	60
5. Catanzaro	34	53:42	56
6. Palermo	34	58:48	52
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Manuel Scavone: “We are planning our future in Bolzano”

Manuel Scavone is South Tyrol's most successful footballer in recent years; he has just secured Pordenone's stay in Serie B. However, it is by no means certain whether he will also play in the second highest league next season.

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