Naples has exploded into delirious celebrations as its football team edged closer towards clinching its first Serie A title in 33 years – a victory that would resonate well beyond football for this often-derided southern Italian city. Napoli had hoped to claim Scudetto glory with six games still to play, but a 1-1 draw against Salernitana meant it has had to delay the official party by a few days. Still, with the team 18 points ahead in the table and the league title all but certain, fireworks were set off, cars hooted incessantly and people danced in the streets and on the balconies of their homes – many waving flags featuring the image of the late Diego Maradona, who was Napoli’s star player when it won its last Scudetto in 1990 and who has an immortal presence in the city. “We haven’t had this for 33 years!” said Giuseppina Scotti as she danced and sang along to a classic Neapolitan song blaring from a nearby balcony. “It’s difficult to describe the importance but it is just something we feel inside – even if you’re not a football fan, you can’t help but get swept up in this incredible joy.” It is hard to find someone who is not a football fan in Naples, a traditionally impoverished city long dismissed by the northern Italian powerhouses and which only rediscovered its pride during Maradona’s phenomenally successful seven-year period with Napoli in the 1980s. Wearing a blue crown and sitting on a stool in the middle of a packed, narrow street in the Forcella area of Naples’ historical centre, Concetta Esposito, 63, started partying hours before Napoli’s game against Salernitana. “My late husband was a big Napoli fan, so I am celebrating for him too – I want to live this special moment,” she said. “Naples has always been an important city but many have looked upon us as being inferior people – winning this Scudetto shows we are beautiful people – even more beautiful than everyone else.” Ask people why the Scudetto victory is so important for the city, and a common reply is that it is “much more than just football”. Preparations for the party got under way in early March as Napoli climbed the division in earnest and glory was in sight. Neighbourhoods across the city ploughed their own money into the decorations, saturating streets with flags and banners depicting the blue and white colours of the squad’s kit. One banner in Forcella read: “The much-awaited day has arrived. Now let’s enjoy the much-desired moment.” Another read: “First we were ignored, then derided … now we are the champions.” Tattoo artists have done a roaring trade as fans poured into their studios to mark the occasion. One child, sitting at a cafe in Piazza Dante with his parents on Sunday morning, had the letter “N” shaved into his hair. Party fever was even more palpable in the narrow streets of a deprived area close to the Sanità district, where multigenerational families live in ground-floor homes known as case bassi. “People around here have spent a lot on the decorations – how could we not invest in our Napoli?” said Marianna Sollami. “We want to show the world our excitement, and that we have heart – something the north doesn’t have.” Pictures of the Napoli team players were everywhere, especially of the star striker Victor Osimhen. But the spirit of the late Maradona loomed large, with shrines dedicated to the Argentinian star omnipresent in Naples, be it on street corners, in restaurants or shops. “For Neapolitans, Maradona is tremendous, whether alive or dead,” said Francesco Brasello, a hotel bar manager. “He is appreciated not only for his football, but because he defended Neapolitan people around the world.” Gaetano Pane said he was 11 years old when Napoli won its last Scudetto. “I remember my uncle painted his car blue, and my cousin and I, also painted white and blue, climbed on to the top of it and were driven along while tied to the luggage rack. It was an incredible celebration and helped us to feel proud of the city. As did Maradona – he will always be the king of Naples and of football.”