Ezio Maria Simonelli, president of the Serie A League, wanted to publicly clarify the position of the organization regarding the decision not to postpone the Atalanta-Lecce match, played last night despite the mourning that hit the Salento club for the disappearance of the physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita.
Fiorita death, the memory of Conte: “We are close to Lecce and the family”
Lecce, Simonelli: “Serie A Lega close to the club, but protecting the regularity of the championship was a priority”
“As a man I express my closeness and my participation in the Fiorita family, the team, management and fans of Lecce,” said Simonelli in a letter addressed to Tuttosport. “As president of the League I feel compelled to explain the reasons for a choice that may have appeared inappropriate: a different date for the dispute of the race, which still requires the agreement of both clubs, would not have guaranteed the regularity of the championship. Some teams are still fighting for salvation, others for access to European competitions.”
Simonelli therefore illustrated in detail why it was not possible to move the 48-hour meeting or postpone it at the end of the season: “The first useful window was Sunday. Postponing the race to Wednesday 30 April would also have forced the postponement of Lecce-Napoli, scheduled for Saturday 3 May, creating an unmanageable calendar. A postponement at the end of May, however, would have risked altering the sporting integrity of the tournament, perhaps finding an Atalanta with different motivations or salvation already concluded. “
The president then stressed that the decision was made independently, without undergoing external pressures: “Making decisions, sometimes very difficult, is different from providing simple advice. The responsibilities are of those who are called to decide. I can ensure that there have been no pressure from other companies.”
Abodi: “football must be able to interpret feelings”
Andrea Abadi, Minister for Sport and young people, who commented on the incident on the occasion of an event at the Cultural Shipyards of the Zisa of Palermo, also intervened on the matter: “Certain situations should be faced by referring to the fundamental values, in front of which football should also be known. It is true, the game has been played, but I believe that football should be able to interpret feelings, beyond the objective organizational difficulties.”
