Johnny Moscardini Stadium

 Excitement mounts in what has been billed by some commentators as the most important football match in the last 20 years in Scotland - tomorrow's UEFA Euro qualifying match to be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, between the Scottish and the Italian football teams.  Media interest has increased about the only Scottish born male footballer to have played for Italy - Johnny Moscardini.

Born in 1897 to Barghigiani parents, he had dual nationality, but when World War I broke out he though still a teenager, joined the Italian army, where he was injured in action and then recuperated back in Barga.  It was there that he was spotted by a team scout for Lucca and then went on to play for Pisa and Genoa. He then went on to play for the Italian national team in 1921 until 1925.  He decided to return to Scotland to run a shop with his family first in Campbeltown, and then Prestwick, where he ran the Lake Cafe, until his retirement in the 60's. A large black-and-white photograph of Johnny Moscardini in his prime was erected this morning outside the Johnny Moscadini Stadium to commemorate his footballing life.

 Although the footballing pioneer died in 1985 his influence is still strongly felt back in Barga - the town he put on the footballing map. The local stadium bears his name and his relatives speak with pride of his achievements. More than 80 years after he last kicked a ball for the national team, the mention of his name still brings smiles to local faces.  He is yet another symbol of Barga's close links with Scotland thanks to the huge number of its sons and daughters who emigrated north. No doubt if he had still been alive he would have loved to have savoured the sights, sounds and spectacle of Saturday's clash between the two countries at Hampden. By Giancarlo Rinaldi  BBC Scotland

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4 Responses to “Johnny Moscardini Stadium”

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1. Daily Telegraph Nov 17 2007 / 3pm

   High on a sumptuous hillside setting, nestling beneath the snowy peaks of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines, lies the 10th-century walled town of Barga, a Tuscan Brigadoon untouched by the passage of time. The tartan reference is deliberate; strolling through Barga’s enchanting maze of narrow cobbled alleyways, you are constantly reminded that here, as the posters proclaim, is “the most Scottish place in Italy”. - Robert Philip - Full article here
2. BBC Nov 17 2007 / 3pm

   A town dubbed the “most Scottish in Italy” has paid tribute to the football links between the nations on the eve of their showdown at Hampden.
   The mayor of Barga in Tuscany has unveiled a photographic tribute to Scots-born player Johnny Moscardini outside the stadium named after him. A spokesman for the local council said it was a “sign of further friendship” between the town and Scotland. Mayor Umberto Sereni will also attend the match in Glasgow on Saturday. Mr Sereni has cultivated these links and said he wanted to honour Moscardini - the only Scottish-born man to play for Italy - on the eve of the clash between the two nations in Glasgow. However, his goodwill did not extend to his forecast of the final score at Hampden. “I predict 3-1 to Italy - and I never get these things wrong!” he said. - BBC - Full article here
3. Svevo Nov 17 2007 / 6pm

   La speranza, non c’e piu.
4. scotsman.com Nov 18 2007 / 2am

   It may be in the heart of the Italian countryside, but one part of Tuscany is really Little Scotland

   Barga’s most famous son is actually a descendant of Falkirk and his footballing prowess, which graced Italian pitches in the 1920s, is still admired to this day.

   Johnny Moscardini - the only Scots-born player to turn out for the Italian national side - has had a stadium named after him. This is in addition to the annual fish-and-chip festival the town holds to celebrate its Scottish links.

   Even before the importance of the Hampden clash became known, the town’s mayor, Umberto Sereni, had made arrangements to be there. His love of Scotland does, however, have its limits, as he was travelling to cheer on the Azzuri. - NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN - Full article here

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