Follow San Marino away
We have all been there. An early morning coach, travelling across the country, only to see your team concede a last minute winner. We have been champions, and been relegated, safe mid table finishes, won and lost derbies to our hated rivals. Football fandom is an unshakable, cult like feeling, but what if you had never seen your team win? What if you had never even seen a goal? Surely you would question your lifestyle choices. Well, not if you are the Bant Boys (ironically self titled).
The Bant Boys are a group of close friends from their university days in Birmingham and have followed San Marino away for over 10 years. The name, if you are wondering, comes from a uni 5-a-side team. Adrian Eacock, and it is important not to gloss over this fact, is a former football player for Juvenes Dogana, picks up the story of why?
Why the worlds oldest republic, home to just over 30,000 people? "It all started with the game FIFA World Cup 2010. I was living with mates at university in 2012 and we came up with the San Marino Challenge, where you had to try and qualify for and win the World Cup with them, all in one sitting. We never got close despite countless attempts and many a missed lecture, but it did get us interested in the real-life team and country. Then, we found out that San Marino were hosting England - on the very day of my 21st birthday. Obviously we had no choice but to make a trip of it, and things went from there" tells Adrian
"After that trip, we were hooked, and we have been following San Marino home and away on a regular basis ever since. I even learnt Italian and moved there for a year back in 2014. Further down the line, we bumped into Massimo and Andrea, two top lads from San Marino who often travel with the national team, as official supporters if you like. One thing led to another and Massimo became president of Juvenes Dogana last year. I had been half-joking with him about playing in this league just before the pandemic hit, and he knows that I love life in this part of the world, so you can imagine my reaction when he put a little message in the group chat saying he wanted an English player".
It’s fair to say, San Marino does not have the most fervent of supporters, rarely do any Sammarinese go to away matches, so the Bant Boys have picked up the baton. Over the last decade, there has been at least a presence in outposts such as Ljubljana and Plzen, Chisinau and Astana, Nicosia and Elbasan. This is worth repeating, they still have not seen a goal, let alone a win.
It’s faith, often blind that keeps us returning to football, and Northern Ireland are in terrible form, so this feels like as good a place as any for a miracle, and the Bant Boys are proudly represented by Adrian, Louis, Theo, Luke, and joining on matchday, Jon aka Sheppers.
What to do on a rainy, bitter Friday evening in Belfast on the day before the Euro Qualifiers? Visit the Oval, perhaps the most frozen in time ground, this place is a living, breathing museum to how football used to be. A pre match pie in the antiquated club house, and the group are joined by Il Presidente Massimo and his Italian friend, along with two members of the Brigata Mai 1 Gioia (Never any joy Brigade). There is something so delightfully paradoxically about seeing immensely cool Italians so uncomfortable in a rugged, down to earth football ground. Sprezzatura has reached the Northern Ireland Premiership. The pitchside sponsors include McDonald's Pharmacy on Castlereagh road and Airspace Roofing, ‘for all your roofing needs’. Glentoran race into a 4-0 first half lead, with Jay Donnelly lobbing the keeper especially pleasing.
One of the boys' particular heroes is Andy Selva, the unicorn of Sammarinese football, appearing 73 times and scoring eight goals (the top scorer of all time). The dream for the group was always a Selvi (a selfie with Selva) and in miraculous circumstances, it was Adrian who achieved it, during his playing days. Selva was the manager of Tre Fiori for a game against Juvenes, with Eacock a criminally unused sub. A full time scuffle between the two teams gave Adrian the opportunity, amongst the melee, to dive in for the request, and whilst wearing the full kit of Juvenes, his audacity got the picture.
It’s matchday in Belfast, and as Ulster fry’s are consumed, there is delicate optimism around the table. Some hope for a shot on target, some hope to lose by less than two goals. There is positivity and vertical rain in the air. Windsor Park is hemmed in amongst the terraced housing, and no segregation today as the Sammarinese are tucked in the lower East stand. The Brigata Mai 1 Gioia are here, flags and banners wave defiantly. The San Marino anthem is a proud moment for this group of Italian, Sammarinese, Irish, Northern, Southern and West Country lads. An early goal doesn’t shake the group, it’s all so standard, so routine. Some Northern Ireland lads with Stone Island patches are giving it out as they go 2-0 up, but bright possession happens for San Marino in amongst it all. Just before halftime, the heavens opened, hailstones pelt down. Even the weather is against San Marino, as the players are serenaded of the pitch.
The second half starts with a rainbow as the sun comes out, and a young child with her father cheers on, in San Marino kits, it almost feels cruel, character building and heartwarming at the same time. Corner for the away side, it feels huge. It leads to nothing, but you learn to love football again. They are 3-0 up with ten minutes to go, and happy with their day, the home fans leave in droves. But not the San Marino supporters. Full time and the home team give a half hearted applause in the centre circle to the fans that are still here. In stark contrast, the Sammarinese players come over to greet each and every fan, with genuine appreciation, even the president in his immaculate suit joins in. These are real connections with real supporters.
The Bant Boys are very much not about the football. It's a group of longtime friends, who, as life takes them to different places, with different people, and responsibilities change, the San Marino National team brings them together. In different places, for different experiences. Forza San Marino. Forza Bant Boys.
San Marino
