Manuel Scavone: “I’ve never experienced anything like this before”

Manuel Scavone, how present are the images of June 17th in your thoughts today?

“These emotions have an extremely lasting effect and it will take a few weeks. 7.000 fans accompanied us to the playoff final in Florence, the atmosphere was gigantic. When the final whistle blew, all the pressure was released, it was the start of the celebrations.”

How extensively was the celebration?

“That was really intense. It started in the stadium in Florence under our fan block, then the celebration continued in the dressing room before we were welcomed by cheering crowds in Parma late in the evening. We rode through the city on the bus and fans everywhere waved and clapped at us. I had never experienced anything like this before. You won’t forget these pictures so quickly.”

Has the hype died down now?

“Everything has calmed down a bit, but when I walk through the city I keep getting stopped and congratulated. It really hits home when older people say they shed tears on the evening of the final win against Alessandria. In moments like these you realize the importance that football has in Parma. I really enjoyed this week, but now I’m looking forward to the holiday.”

You scored in the 2-0 final win against Alessandria and became promotion heroes. Does that particularly honor you?

“I am of course very happy to have made my contribution. I moved from Serie B to Lega Pro to get promoted with Parma. I think I lived up to the expectations the club had of me.”

Parma has set itself the goal of moving from Serie D to Serie A. Will the next class jump take place next year?

“Here I have to put the brakes on the euphoria. We shouldn't rush anything, because a club first has to adapt to a new league. This project can only be successful if we grow healthily and take one step after the next. We were also considered big favorites for promotion this season. At times the fans have already whistled farewell to us during 1-0 wins. We couldn't cope with this pressure and therefore couldn't keep up with Venezia. We can thank the quality of the squad and our character strengths that we made it through the playoffs. However, this should be a lesson.”

In your words you can tell that the future of the club is important to you. But what about your personal future? Are you heading towards Series A together?

“Parma is certainly one of the 15 most important and renowned clubs in Italy. I am honored to be able to play for such a club. I still have two years left on my contract here, so I'm not planning on going in any other direction. At 30 years old, I am now one of the experienced players who can show the young people the way. The club management will certainly upgrade the squad in the summer. I don't want to have to sit on the bench, but I just have to expect strong competition from Parma. Otherwise we wouldn’t even need to dream about Serie A.”

That brings us back to the topic of promotion. The most recent was the fourth class jump in her career, after those with FC Südtirol, Novara and Pro Vercelli. Which one was the most beautiful?

“The promotion with Parma is certainly something special because there were great expectations of us and we were finally able to make a whole city cheer. But the most moving success remains the one I was able to celebrate with FC Südtirol. We were a whole bunch of young, local players who achieved something historic by winning promotion to the third division. That was seven years ago now, but FC Südtirol is my hometown club and I still have my heart attached to it.”

Questions: Alexander Foppa

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Manuel Scavone: “I’ve never experienced anything like this before”

Exactly a week ago, Parma secured promotion to the series. Manuel Scavone from Bolzano describes what has been happening since then in the football-crazy northern Italian city. He became a major promotion hero for the former European Cup winners.

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