Marked for Amos Ayew
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match23 Nov 2030
Südtirol win it in stoppage time
The board had gone up, the arguing had started, and then the ball was in the net in the 91th minute. Sampdoria will replay every second of the added time for a week.
Player ratings25 Nov 2030
A brace, and Riccardo Tonin takes the afternoon — 9.25
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Riccardo Tonin provided it, and the 9.25 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Market25 Nov 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match23 Nov 2030
Nobody wants to play Südtirol right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad25 Nov 2030
A falling-out at Südtirol
Daniele Casiraghi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Nov 2030
Words at Südtirol training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andrea Giorgini is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad25 Nov 2030
Kouassi Kouadja wants to finish where he started
Every long career reaches the week the player starts thinking about the last one. He would like it to be at the club that first put him on a pitch, and Südtirol now know that too.
Match23 Nov 2030
A 2‑1 win over Sampdoria, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The terraces25 Nov 2030
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Edis Međedović has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match25 Sep 2030
Südtirol march on in the cup
Vis Pesaro are out and Südtirol go through, 3‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
The dugout30 Sep 2030
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Südtirol have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings30 Sep 2030
Marco Vitale, 17, steals the show — 8.03
Marked 8.03 at 17, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Market30 Sep 2030
Youssef Marei hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Südtirol can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Sep 2030
Words exchanged at Südtirol
Daniele Casiraghi and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad30 Sep 2030
A row about effort at Südtirol
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Andrea Giorgini was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces30 Sep 2030
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The dugout30 Sep 2030
Noah Dybvik gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings30 Sep 2030
7.95, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Südtirol had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market22 Jul 2030
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Südtirol, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets22 Jul 2030
Everything agreed with Fiorentina, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad22 Jul 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Südtirol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom22 Jul 2030
Belts tighten at Südtirol
The accounts are being read more closely than the results. Wages before ambition is the order of business now, and the manager has been told so.
Squad22 Jul 2030
Andrea Giorgini falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets22 Jul 2030
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Monopoli have kept their man, and Südtirol go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout22 Jul 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Edis Međedović, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Jul 2030
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Südtirol can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Boardroom22 Jul 2030
Wages swallow 85% of the Südtirol income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market1 Jul 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom1 Jul 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Südtirol
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad1 Jul 2030
A falling-out at Südtirol
Daniele Casiraghi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets1 Jul 2030
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Pontedera have kept their man, and Südtirol go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Words at Südtirol training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitry Pivovarov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Südtirol are still strangers to each other
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
Market1 Jul 2030
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
The dugout1 Jul 2030
Ciro Santoro asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market3 Jun 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
The scrutiny sharpens at Südtirol
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Südtirol is running low.
Squad3 Jun 2030
A falling-out at Südtirol
Daniele Casiraghi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Raphael Kofler falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets3 Jun 2030
Südtirol asked and Juventus said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market3 Jun 2030
Matteo Carlesi is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Südtirol has been clear about where Matteo Carlesi stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout3 Jun 2030
Raphael Kofler asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Südtirol than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
The window is open, and with it the only month of the year when a supporter’s hopes are limited by nothing but arithmetic. The board know the arithmetic; the supporters know the hopes.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market27 May 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout27 May 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Südtirol may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market27 May 2030
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Squad27 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Südtirol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom27 May 2030
Belts tighten at Südtirol
The accounts are being read more closely than the results. Wages before ambition is the order of business now, and the manager has been told so.
Squad27 May 2030
A row about effort at Südtirol
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Raphael Kofler was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom27 May 2030
Wages swallow 111% of the Südtirol income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
Squad27 May 2030
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Südtirol know it.
The dugout27 May 2030
Teddy James gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market25 Mar 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Südtirol can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
Two goals and a mark of 9.06 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Squad25 Mar 2030
Daniele Casiraghi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad25 Mar 2030
A row about effort at Südtirol
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Raphael Kofler was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match23 Mar 2030
It finished 2‑1, and it was Riccardo Tonin’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Südtirol.
The dugout25 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Renato Bertoni
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad25 Mar 2030
10 new faces, and Südtirol are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout25 Mar 2030
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Interim Coach on a 2‑1 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
Squad25 Mar 2030
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Südtirol know it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market4 Mar 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Südtirol can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom4 Mar 2030
The numbers do not look good at Südtirol
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Squad4 Mar 2030
Raphael Kofler falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad4 Mar 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Südtirol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match2 Mar 2030
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Boardroom4 Mar 2030
Wages eat 117% of everything Südtirol earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
The dugout4 Mar 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Youssef Marei, and the manager let it.
The dugout4 Mar 2030
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Interim Coach after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Squad4 Mar 2030
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jan 2030
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Market14 Jan 2030
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Südtirol people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market14 Jan 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Südtirol can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Jan 2030
Amos Ayew gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Amos Ayew has just signed for Südtirol, and for once the answer mattered.
Squad14 Jan 2030
A row about effort at Südtirol
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alessandro Mallamo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad14 Jan 2030
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Südtirol know it.
Transfer targets14 Jan 2030
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Cremonese have kept their man, and Südtirol go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad14 Jan 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Südtirol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout14 Jan 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.