“There is one important thing, which I want to say immediately: I am not an enemy of Salernitana, neither of the square nor of society”. Adriano Galliani anticipates the questions with a spontaneous statement. And he confines himself to a telegram on the case of the moment, the “flight to Switzerland” of some players from his Monza at the Lugano casino: «The official position of the company, on this, is in a press release. It’s all written there and there is nothing else to add ». It is the agitated dawn of a big match that counts so much and brings with it the tensions of a complex season, to be decided in the sprint and after the caravan was suddenly stopped to align the calendar. The administrator of the Brianza area starts from this disputed stop, who on Saturday will challenge the grenades at the Arechi, while he reaches Rome for the communications of the premier Mario Draghi – since 2018 the manager of reference of Silvio Berlusconi in football is also a senator of the Republic, obviously in Forza Italia share – on the “National Recovery and Resilience Plan” at Palazzo Madama. «The Lega B assembly has voted what I believe to be the best solution, stopping the championship for a week and giving the possibility to complete the recoveries. Salernitana thought differently and was inclined to play another two days before the interruption. But how could breaking latest news have recovered three games? ».
The question is another, however: what happens now if Covid imposes more postponements? Basically: what is the plan-B of League B?
I am not the president of the Lega and I limit myself to commenting on what has been done. In my opinion the right decision was made to save the championship final. With Empoli-Chievo and breaking latest news-Entella all the teams played the same number of matches with four days to go.
I insist: Salernitana has the technical Castori positive at Covid, if other infections emerge, what do you do?
There is a regulation that entitles you to the joker if there are eight positives. Let’s not forget that we are talking about a particular season, because the whole world, not just football, is experiencing something unthinkable.
And that protocol signed by all the clubs? Don’t you think it was written with “gaps”, for example regarding the intervention of the ASL?
The problem isn’t the rules, it’s Covid. I had it, I risked my life. I know what I’m talking about. For a year the pandemic has changed everything, today doctors treat better than in the beginning, we have gone through and are still experiencing something unimaginable.
In short, there was an idea to keep football going but then the situation got out of hand …
I didn’t use this expression. I say that Covid has brought the world economy to its knees, and therefore also football. Everyone looked for the best solutions to limit the damage.
But the Serie B, as you mentioned earlier, granted a joker. Then, in order not to stop the championship, the 3-0 at the table. What happened to Salernitana-Reggiana. And that day there were criticisms and judgments. Also by Galliani …
Nothing against Salernitana, but losing at the table because there is a Covid outbreak I did not think it was and I do not think it right. In fact, after the Coni College of Guarantee has ruled for the Juventus-Naples dispute, the matches are replayed.
He spoke a little while ago about Empoli-Chievo: well, even the Tuscans were in quarantine, the clivians showed up on the pitch and then appealed.
And it was rejected for the very reasons I was talking about.
It goes without saying that the attention reserved for Chievo has not been the same. In Salerno one wonders: why did Galliani speak like that in October even though Monza was not interested in the affair?
It is an understatement to ask this question. Because Adriano Galliani is not only the manager of Monza, where my friend Silvio Berlusconi, also on my impulse, has decided to return to football. I have been in this world since the seventies. I spoke about my past in Milan, as president of Serie A league, for the experiences I had in the international field. In short, I spoke as a football man. I repeat, against anyone. And I absolutely intend to soften the tone with Salerno. Also everyone knows that I have been a friend of Claudio Lotito for a lifetime. I also saw him the day he bought Lazio.
It was 2004. A year later the Salernitana at the time tried, in vain, to avoid bankruptcy by resorting to the same foothold, the so-called “debt-spreading”. Remember?
I remember well the president of the time, Aniello Aliberti, he too was and is a friend of mine. And now, as then, there was no rivalry on my part with Salernitana.
But in the assembly the opposition exists today …
You can think otherwise, I never pretended to find everyone in agreement.
Did you expect them, up there in the standings, the Beaver grenades?
I didn’t know the values of the other teams in this Serie B closely, I don’t know if and how much Salernitana was a surprise. But I congratulate the team for the great championship they are doing.
And what about Saturday’s big match at Arechi?
They face the third and fourth in the standings with four days to go. It will be a great match. Let’s live it as such.
(dar.cio.)