The WhatsApp Group That Keeps a Football Miracle Alive
Every morning at approximately 6am, a digital gathering begins that defies the passage of three decades. Osvaldo Jaconi, the 79-year-old former manager, initiates the conversation with a simple "Good morning" to his former players and staff. This daily ritual unfolds within a WhatsApp group titled "Serie B," serving as a living testament to one of football's most extraordinary stories.
A Miracle Born in Mountainous Abruzzo
In the mid-1990s, Castel di Sangro Calcio accomplished what seemed impossible for a club from this remote Abruzzo town. Rising from local amateur leagues to Italy's second division, their 1995-96 Serie B promotion shocked the football world. The following season brought "La Salvezza" - an equally miraculous escape from relegation that cemented their legend.
"It's like 30 years haven't passed," reflects Angelo Petrarca, the sprightly 73-year-old who served as masseur, fitness trainer, and essentially a one-man backroom staff. "It shows how much love everybody has for each other, and did back then. As if everybody is still right here."
Immortalised in Print and Memory
American journalist Joe McGinniss embedded with the team during that first Serie B campaign, documenting their journey in "The Miracle of Castel di Sangro." The book became a sports literature classic, capturing both the personal and sporting dimensions of this unlikely adventure.
"There were three of us on the staff and things were really family-run," Petrarca recalls from his hilltop home overlooking the town. "If the kit man wasn't around I'd take my two sons to the stadium laundry and we'd wash the players' clothes. Our guys were the lowest-paid in Serie B and perhaps in Serie C. We went to Palermo, Bari, Turin, Genoa, cities with more than 700,000 inhabitants, but we survived."
The Inevitable Decline and Phoenix-like Rebirth
As Petrarca acknowledges, the miracle couldn't last forever. Relegation followed the next season, with bankruptcy arriving in 2005 after demotion to the fifth tier. What ensued was a familiar Italian football story of name changes and restarts, including a period competing in neighboring Molise under distant Neapolitan management.
Two years ago, former ballboy Ferdinando Iacobucci led a local initiative to found Castel di Sangro Calcio anew. Entering Abruzzo's third division (Italy's ninth tier), they established an academy now nurturing approximately 120 local children.
"We're starting with good intentions," Iacobucci explains. "The miracle is difficult to replicate but we hope to reach a level that Castel di Sangro deserves. Seeing kids from Castel di Sangro unable to play for their home town broke our hearts, so we decided to begin all over again and let them wear the jersey."
Legacy Passed Through Generations
The connection between eras remains tangible. Current right-back Angelo Bonomi plays where his father Claudio scored the legendary winner against Pescara that secured La Salvezza in June 1997. Claudio, who later played for Torino, Sampdoria, and Fiorentina, now watches his son from the stands.
"It's an honour to see a member of my family wearing the Castel di Sangro shirt," Claudio Bonomi says. "It's a great town and a great club, and these guys need to be aware of it. Football has changed and it's really tough now, the sport has become about politics at all levels. It's very unlikely we can repeat our climb, but you never know."
Contemporary Challenges and Continuity
The current team, where no player receives payment, recently defeated Gessopalena 3-1 before celebrating at La Lanterna pizzeria - the same establishment that served as Marcella's in McGinniss's book, once hosting team meetings and gatherings.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Romito embodies the modern spirit: "We're a team where no one is paid, playing for the love of the sport." His framed jersey from Napoli's Alex Meret, exchanged after Romito saved a penalty from Amin Younes in a friendly five years ago, represents the closest brush with fame for current players.
Controversies and Enduring Bonds
McGinniss's departure from Castel di Sangro was marred by controversy after he alleged the team deliberately lost their final 1996-97 match in Bari - claims Jaconi dismisses as misunderstanding. "A writer who doesn't understand football could clearly have misinterpreted some banal things," the former manager argues.
The era witnessed other dramas: two players died in a car accident, another faced (and was acquitted of) drug smuggling charges, and a publicity-stunt signing of a fake Nigerian star. Yet through all turbulence, genuine bonds formed.
Petrarca maintained friendship with McGinniss, receiving champagne in New York the following year. Jaconi regularly visits former goalkeeper Roberto De Juliis, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in October 2024 but remains active in their WhatsApp group.
The Spirit That Refuses to Fade
As the 30th anniversary of Il Miracolo approaches this summer, Jaconi attempts modesty: "I never thought anything of it. We won, we did it, then everyone went their own way." Yet the constant stream of messages on Petrarca's phone tells a different story - one of enduring connection and shared history.
Iacobucci, selling replica shirts and pouring coffee from the tiny club shop during matches, captures the present reality: "We've started over with the legacy of the old. And we're seeking a glimmer of light in the new." In Castel di Sangro, miracles might not repeat, but their spirit proves remarkably resilient.
