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In 2015 Parma were declared bankrupt and relegated to Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football. A season later they were in Serie C but they still had a long way to go to climb back up to the top tier. So when Palermo’s sporting director, Daniele Faggiano, quit his position in Serie A to join Parma amid the rubble, it is little wonder eyebrows were raised. “The main factor was Parma’s history – this club deserved to be where they had always been,” says Faggiano. “I thought: Parma is Parma, in Europe and in the world. No one gave me an objective for this club because we deserve to be in Serie A.”
Two seasons later, Parma are dining at the top table again, sitting proudly in eighth place, four points above Milan, having survived relegation in their first season back in the top flight. Working in tandem with the head coach, Roberto D’Aversa, Faggiano has been one of the chief architects behind what is known as the “Parma Miracle”. They won an incredible three leagues in a row to return to Serie A, the first team in Italy to complete this feat. So, how do you even begin to rebuild a club from the bottom up?
“We structured ourselves like a Serie B club while in the third division, that was the secret,” says Faggiano. Team spirit was also key, and using the cosy confines of the canteen as a hub where players could plot victories was a vital old-school weapon. “We built our promotion in Serie C around our cafeteria. It was a very humble situation, not for a top Serie A club. We always got together with a great feeling of unity and that made the difference.”
This helped the squad and manager come through a tough period when they were struggling in Serie B two seasons ago. “We had only won one match out of 10 or 11, we were struggling but we all believed. It was one for all and all for one and we never threw mud at each other. To me that is the symbol of these seasons: when things don’t go well, we stay together.”
Faggiano has had to buy intelligently and he’s particularly proud of the players he brought to the club in the third division whom many believed would not be cut out for the top tier. “Two names still make me emotional” says Faggiano, a big bear of a man with soft eyes. “Matteo Scozzarella [an energetic midfielder] and [full-back] Simone Iacoponi. I get emotional every time I see them, every time they take to a pitch in Serie A like every kid dreams about. I acquired Iacoponi from Virtus Entella in Serie C and some tried to make me feel bad about this. I brought to Parma many players that others believed weren’t worth the investment; now they give their heart and soul in Serie A. These are the stories that have made a difference in the club’s rebuild.”
Parma’s return to their natural habitat has brought with it the benefits of being able to attract higher calibre players to complement the club’s promotion stalwarts. They now have Gervinho and Matteo Darmian, and Faggiano puffs out his cheeks as he recalls the difficulty in making the step up to negotiating a deal for Darmian with Manchester United.
“It wasn’t easy, believe me,” he laughs. “Manchester United clearly didn’t need money from Parma! We met with representatives from Manchester United on the phone and via email, they understood our needs and they helped us with Darmian’s demands. Manchester United acted like you would expect Manchester United to act and I’m happy and proud to have brought Darmian here. I remember the first call with Matteo: I truly wanted to understand if he wanted to come here and I right away understood we were acquiring an extraordinary person with a great spirit of sacrifice.”
Darmian has been so impressive that both Milan clubs are being linked with a move for the Italy defender in January. Gervinho too, has been catching the eye. The forward’s career looked to be winding down when he left Roma for China but at Parma he has been given a new lease of life. How did Faggiano decide that a player who was effectively semi-retired would be cut out for a Serie A relegation battle last season? “The story is incredible,” he beams. “One day his agent came to our office and offered him to us. I discussed it with my staff. ‘Really, that Gervinho?’ There was some scepticism since he hadn’t been in Europe for a while, but it was a deal we could take a risk with. Someone, who is no longer at our club, tried to get in the way since they didn’t want him but I had made up my mind. I believed in it a lot.”
It was a transfer that helped keep Parma on an upward trajectory. Gervinho’s 11 goals last season went a long way towards keeping the club in Serie A and his performances brought interest from Premier League clubs. “Some teams wanted him,” says Faggiano, with a proud smile. “But he stayed because he feels part of our family; this makes you understand what Parma is all about.” Parma’s 2-0 defeat of Roma this month will have confirmed to Gervinho that his decision to stay was right.
Unlike some clubs, Parma do not worry about age when signing players. Two of their outstanding performers this season are separated by 18 years. The effervescent 19-year-old Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski, on loan from Atalanta, has been irrepressible in midfield, while Bruno Alves, 37, has been a towering presence at the back. Is Faggiano plotting another big move for a player in their late 30s? “I knew Ibrahimovic would be the topic,” he says, before roaring with laughter. “He’s an extraordinary player that I dream of seeing at Parma, but today we can’t afford him.” Faggiano is never one to put limits on what Parma can achieve, though. “You should never stop dreaming about the future of the club,” he says. After the “miracle” Faggiano has helped to create, who are we to argue.
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