A Red-and-White Legend

A Soccer Fairy Tale & a Special Moment with Buffon

Fabian Tait has already faced Gianluigi Buffon (top left) and was narrowly defeated this season by Serie A club Genoa.(Bild: Krone-Collage/FC Südtirol, @ www.tschager-foto.com, krone.at)

Fabian Tait has been lacing up his soccer cleats for FC Südtirol for over twelve years. With the club, the midfielder has risen all the way to Serie B and has even come close to promotion to Serie A. In an interview with sportkrone.at, the South Tyrolean spoke about “his” FCS, life after his professional career, and the one player he’d still like to face on the field.

sportkrone.at: Fabian , many people see you as the face of FC Südtirol. Back in 2014, did you ever imagine that twelve years later you’d be your club’s all-time appearance leader and even get to dream of promotion to Serie A?

Fabian Tait:I dreamedabout it, but I certainly didn’t have a clue (laughs).  When I arrived in 2014, it was a completely different world. Where our modern FCS Center stands now, there was back then just a field, a tree, and an old shack. A lot has changed since then—and I’ve grown along with the club.

What kind of developments are we talking about?
On the one hand, the infrastructure: the new stadium, the new training center. But above all, we successfully brought the Serie B project to fruition. That was a lot of hard work, because Italy’s third division is extremely competitive. The fact that we’ve now been playing in the second-highest division for five years is actually unbelievable. After our first year in Serie B, we even almost managed to get promoted to Serie A because we had an incredible season. But what I’ve enjoyed most over the years is how the relationship with the fans has evolved.

Fabian Tait(Bild: Giacomelli Andrea)

How so?
Back in Serie C, we usually had fewer than 100 spectators in the stadium. But since our promotion, we’ve reached more and more fans. And that kind of thing inspires the players, too. When we now play in front of 5,000 home fans and you can see how the team is becoming more and more important to more and more people, it’s a great feeling. Of course, we’re not yet where traditional clubs like Bari or Palermo are, but we’re on the right track for a relatively young club. 

South Tyrol is, after all, in a unique situation. Are you now bringing together fans from all three language groups?
Yes, that’s definitely my impression, and I feel it every time I leave the stadium after a game. You run into fans who speak German with you, and then others with whom you speak Italian. That makes me very happy. It shows me that we’re all united here as a club. We cheer together, we hold our breath together, and we support each other. 

How big was the difference in the level of play between the third division and Serie B for you? 
Serie B is a whole different world. Suddenly you’re playing against teams with big budgets and impressive histories. Against former Serie A teams—clubs that once won the championship or the Europa League. Palermo, Parma, Sampdoria—these are big-name clubs that I used to watch on TV as a kid. Suddenly, I’m out on the field competing against them. And to do that in our very first year as the league’s underdog, when everyone had us marked as a sure bet for relegation. That motivated us tremendously and spurred us on to peak performances. We looked at each other in the locker room and said, “We fought so hard together just to be in this league. Now more than ever. We’ll show them who’s the sure bet for relegation!” In the end, we didn’t make it to Serie A until we lost to Bari in the playoff semifinals. That game in Bari in front of 60,000 fans—every single moment of that day is etched in my memory. I’ll never forget it—those emotions were indescribable.

Last season, we faced Bari again. This time, it was a battle against relegation, and FC Südtirol managed to stay up...
I think that was a great achievement in its own right. We can’t always expect this team to be in the running for promotion. But when it mattered most, we were there and rightfully stayed up, and then there was a major shake-up over the summer. Many deserving, experienced players left the club. But that’s how it is in professional soccer, and we’ve gotten off to a good start this season.

Fabian Tait gave a detailed interview to “sportkrone.at.”(Bild: krone.at)

What goals have you set for yourselves? Securing survival as quickly as possible, or keeping an eye on Serie A?
Serie B is a very difficult league. The focus is always on securing our place in the league as quickly as possible. Because there are many good teams, and anything can happen. Once we’re safe, we can set new goals and start dreaming. 

At 33, you’re now one of the veterans on the team, and I hear you’re slowly starting to plan for life after your career as a professional soccer player. But do you plan to remain loyal to the club even then?
I’ll turn 34 in February, so naturally, that’s when you start thinking about these things. I’d be very happy to remain part of the FCS family, as I call it—because the club has become a kind of family to me. Exactly what that commitment would look like in practice remains to be seen, but it’s definitely my goal to stay connected to the club. Because I want to help drive its positive development forward.

For now, you’re still helping out on the field. What goals have you set for yourself in your soccer career?
As an athlete, you always have to have goals; otherwise, you have to quit. I’m the captain, I’ve played over 400 games for my club, and I love my club. No matter what happens, personally I’ve given it my all and achieved a lot that I once didn’t even dare to dream of. That’s why the team’s success is simply the most important thing to me—if we secure our place in the league early on, even if I hardly play, then that’s the most important goal for me and the greatest reward.

Fabian Tait and Gianluigi Buffon(Bild: @ www.tschager-foto.com)

You’ve played against some great players in your career—just think of Cesc Fàbregas at Como—and you’ve also played alongside many talented players. Which teammates have had a particular influence on you, and which opponents have fascinated you?
Wow (laughs)—that’s a really tough one when it comes to teammates. But if I had to choose, I’d say Daniele Casiraghi, because of all the important goals he scored. But there were so many great players who were part of my career. The fact that many of them congratulated me on my 400th game—even years after we’d played together—meant a lot to me.

As for opponents, definitely Cesc Fàbregas, who was still playing in Como at the end of his professional career. It was a special honor that, as captain, I got to exchange team crests with Gianluigi Buffon and play against him. But there were many strong, impressive opponents. And there were many legends among the coaches as well—World Cup champions like Cannavaro, De Rossi, and Gilardino. Players I used to admire on TV as a kid—and then suddenly here I am, the kid from Salurn, playing against them. That’s still something special for me even today.