Sant'Elena is safe, Lanusei is relegated to promotion. The last real Sunday of the Sardinian football season saw the return of the playouts, with Lixius's 1-1 draw yesterday which rewarded Marco Piras' team thanks to the 2-1 draw in the first leg. A run-up in grand style: in the penultimate match he was practically doomed, then the comeback from 2-0 to 2-2 in Villaperuccio with Carbonia followed by the victory over Iglesias in the last match (with the equal of Monastir-Nuorese, the only result that was needed for the play-off) and the three extra games passed to keep the category. "Our concern is not having a structure in which to play football and a city behind it, with an administration that supports us like all other clubs", asks Luca Meloni during "L'Informatore Sportivo" on Radiolina, president of the club that should play in Quartu but for some time he has been forced to wander around South Sardinia (in the season he found hospitality mainly in Mulinu Becciu). «In the last eight years, however, we have been nomads, I want to thank all the friends and sponsors because without them I would not have been able to carry on this project».
The vicinity. There were so many who followed Sant'Elena to the playouts, even yesterday in Lanusei with banners, choirs and smoke bombs. And throughout this salvation process, the public followed the green-and-whites with great passion: «The Quartese people approached us and gave us a big hand both in the playoff and in the playouts», thanks from Meloni. «Something is emerging that I would not have expected, almost by chance: from a group of thirty to forty organized fans to those who were at Mulinu Becciu for the first leg. And Mauro Ragatzu was an example, he who is from Quartese. During the week we will get together to try to make an important championship next ».
The bitterness. The other side of the playout medal is represented by Lanusei, who despite having a certainly valuable squad had to deal with the second consecutive relegation. "We pay above all for last year's", the opinion of the patron Daniele Arras. «After seven years in Serie D we had found a balance that fell apart, then it was not easy to maintain a passage of this type at a corporate level and in terms of enthusiasm. We have lost stability."
The relaunch. Lanusei will return to the Promotion, played (and won) the last time in 2013-2014. «Now let's get rid of the disappointment, then we'll see during the week with the partners how to recover. A company like this must also be a reference to represent our community through sport, in line with the economic resources». And next season the derby with Tortolì will also be seen again, which has been missing since 2017-2018. But at the time it was Serie D, a category where Lanusei showed they could be great.
Field doctor. Andrea Porcheddu, Carbonia striker who scored 17 goals in Excellence and who has just graduated in Economics, also spoke during the program hosted by Lorenzo Piras: «A year that is certainly full of satisfactions, first of all the degree and then the team results. I was lucky enough to spend four years at Cagliari in the youth team, my parents taught me the importance of studying which I carried out there and during the year in C in Arzachena. Football is a plan B: I understood that things may not go well even for reasons external to me, I must first build a career path for myself and then carve out a space for me to play".