Fair play gestures that inspire South Tyrolean sport

“We are like Aladdin’s magic lamp: we make dreams come true,” says Mirco Marchiodi on Friday evening in front of around 300 guests in the MEC congress center at the Bolzano Trade Fair. Marchiodi has been president of for six years GS Excelsior, the football team that is known for (almost) always losing. There is a specific reason for this: for the people of Bolzano, the principle of performance is secondary. Here every player – no matter how football-savvy they are – gets the same amount of playing time. And: everyone is welcome here. “Some of our players wouldn’t find a place on other teams. We do.”

Marchiodi, who as president also laces the shoes for his club, also emphasizes: “We are no longer just the team that always loses. We are also the team that is the fairest.” In the club’s 21-year history, Excelsior has won the fairness rating almost every year, meaning it has received the fewest yellow and red cards. A special project Fair play – that is a term that is more important to GS Excelsior than to any other South Tyrolean football team. This is exactly why the association launched a project this year in which fair play gestures are recognized at local, national and international levels.

Mirco Marchiodi, President of GS Excelsior. © ANDREAS KEMENATER

In recent months, fair play gestures have been submitted on a website under the motto “WeFairPlay”. A jury - consisting of well-known South Tyrolean ex-athletes (such as Tania Cagnotto, Claudia Schuler, Manuela Mölgg or Martin Pavlu), local journalists (Stefano Bizzotto). Rai or Andreas Vieider of Tagblatt Dolomites ) as well as former stars such as ex-Roma footballer Damiano Tommasi – selected the seven most beautiful, praiseworthy and emotional actions. The presence of Italy's national soccer coach Milena Bertolini in Bolzano on Friday evening showed how big a stir this project made. Moving actions For example, the prize for the most beautiful South Tyrolean fair play campaign went to Papa Dame Diop. The Senegalese is a well-known activist in Bolzano who was not only able to establish plugging - i.e. collecting rubbish while running - in the valley town, but also opened a karate school. Free of charge, of course. “Many people don’t have the financial means to send their children to a sports club. Papa Dame Diop takes everyone in,” explains former ice hockey player Martin Pavlu, who gave a eulogy for the Senegalese, who now lives in France.

Sabine Bertagnolli received the prize for South Tyrol's most praiseworthy fair play initiative. She is the mother of Matteo, who suffers from a particularly rare neurological disease - and she is the founder of the “Amigos de Matteo” association. This project is designed to help children with disabilities gain positive experiences. For example, a sailing tour has been organized in the past. Olympic champion with heart Niccolò Campriani was also honored on Friday: The three-time Olympic shooting champion, who lived in Eppan for a long time, dedicated himself to a special project after the end of his career. He began teaching three refugees sport shooting. “All three have never practiced this sport before,” explains Campriani, who now lives in Los Angeles and sent a video message from there. Nevertheless, two of them made it to the 2021 Olympic Games with the Refugee Team.

Moving gestures and actions that the GS Excelsior recognized with the help of its jury. State Governor Arno Kompatscher also thinks so. “We are making a mistake. We live in a performance society. And even if we do sports in our free time, it’s still about performance,” says Kompatscher, who appropriately adds: “We have to redefine success. GS Excelsior shows how exactly.”

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Fair play gestures that inspire South Tyrolean sport

It sounds utopian that a 3rd amateur league team is causing a stir not only in South Tyrol, but throughout Italy and beyond. Unless your name is GS Excelsior. The Bolzano club has the most extraordinary football team in this country - and has now presented an equally extraordinary project.

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