An almost symbolic choice, with a clear message addressed to the government of football: Lecce plays, and will do so because it is forced by a decision that it considers quite questionable. This is the decision of the Giallorossi club, which leaves for Bergamo where tomorrow it should take the field at 8:45 pm against Atalanta. The conditional is still a must, because the Salento team will try until this evening to have the Lega Serie A leaders change the date, perhaps also hoping for support from the Bergamo club, after the tragic death of physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita on Thursday morning . Otherwise, captain Baschirotto and his teammates are ready to take the field, albeit with a sinking heart, in a match, technical evaluations aside, that for Lecce will be the match of anger and desperation.
No pre-match press conference from the coach, because Marco Giampaolo and the entire team prefer it that way, still shaken as they are by the incredible tragedy that took place last Thursday in the quiet of the Coccaglio retreat, with the sudden death of physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita. Lecce, heartbroken, had immediately returned home, almost as if they wanted to escape the scene of the tragedy: in the evening the announcement, which almost smacks of mockery, with the decision of the Lega Serie A to recover the match against Atalanta - initially scheduled for yesterday at 20:45 - on Sunday evening . A decision that has shocked the club, which was expecting the postponement, but did not imagine it in such a short time frame.
The scheduled training session scheduled for yesterday did not take place, with the players informing the coach and the club that they did not feel like wearing football boots: they just found themselves hanging around in the locker room for a long time, almost as if they wanted to pay homage to their friend and colleague Fiorita, without going onto the pitch. This morning, a finishing training session, with their heads and minds still confused by what happened a few days ago , to play a match that they never wanted to play, or at least play later.
But in the end, the reason of state prevails, so tomorrow morning Lecce will leave for Bergamo, where they will challenge Atalanta in the evening. A choice, that of not leaving for retreat on the afternoon of the eve, which takes into account a very strong psychological impact for the team that would find itself, 48 hours later, again in retreat, even if in a different hotel and location, when everyone has before their eyes what happened in Coccaglio . So no retreat, this evening everyone at home with their families, then tomorrow morning the departure for Bergamo, lunch in the hotel and preparation for the match reduced to a minimum.
(Online Union)