If you have never discovered a foreign club because of Football Manager, you are a rare case. Englishman Jedd Cooley discovered San Donato Tavarnelle, a tiny club in Tuscany. The difference is that he did not stop there.
A scarf, a podcast and Le Tissier
On a first trip, Jedd went to see San Donato Tavarnelle vs Siena, in Montevarchi, when both teams were in Serie C. He left with a club scarf.
That scarf ended up in the studio of “Stanchion”, a friend’s podcast, hanging right behind the head of Matt Le Tissier, the Southampton legend. Jedd sent the photo to San Donato’s press office, the club wrote an article about it and, from then on, they became friends.
Survival in the 92nd minute
In May 2026, Jedd went back. This time he brought three more friends from England, for the last matchday of Serie D Group E.
San Donato needed a point to stay up and got it with an equalizer against Seravezza Pozzi in the 92nd minute. Imagine being there, from another country, because of a club you found in a computer game, and watching that happen.
Afterwards there were even drinks with the players. Jedd told the Italian press that being at the heart of that community was incredible, and he already promises to return next season with more people.
That is FM for you. Sometimes a save ends up in a stand in Italy.
Fonte: Sportitalia (05/06/2026)
