Pomigliano Teatro Festival to stage play about footballer Matthias Sindelar

The Pomigliano Teatro Festival 2026 will feature the play ‘Cartavelina’, written and performed by Gaetano Coccia and directed by Davide Ferrari. The performance is scheduled for September 4, 2026, at the Palazzo dell’Orologio in Pomigliano d’Arco.

The production explores the life of Matthias Sindelar, a legendary Austrian footballer and star of the 1930s ‘Wunderteam’. Known as ‘Cartavelina’ for his slender physique and the ‘Mozart of football’ for his elegance, Sindelar’s story serves as a symbol of resistance against political imposition.

The play highlights the intersection of sport and history during the 1938 Anschluss, when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. It recounts how Sindelar and teammate Karl Sesta allegedly defied political expectations during a celebratory match in Vienna by scoring goals and refusing to perform the Nazi salute, turning a sporting event into an act of dissent.