Lecce wear blank shirts in protest at ‘trampled values’ after death of physio | OneFootball

Lecce wear a blank shirt in protest against the Lega Serie A after appeals to delay the Atalanta match due to the death of their physiotherapist were rejected. ‘There is a hierarchy of death.’

The game was originally set to kick off on Friday evening, but on Thursday physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita died suddenly in the team hotel in Bergamo.

The squad flew back to Lecce and asked repeatedly, with help from the Minister for Sport, to be given more time to grieve before being forced to play this fixture, but it was rescheduled for Sunday evening at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT, 20.45 CET).

Fiorita underwent an autopsy today and reports suggest the 48-year-old suffered a heart attack.

Lecce fury at Lega Serie A decision

Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita

Lecce flew out this afternoon for the match, without their directors or non-essential members of staff, and released a damning statement.

“U.S. Lecce consider the decision of the Lega Serie A to reschedule the game with Atalanta so few hours after the death of our Graziano Fiorita to be terribly disrespectful towards the awful loss that struck the family of this man, the club, and the Lecce fans.

“In other cases, which were just as painful, more reasonable decisions were made. What emerges is a hierarchy of death based on the prestige of the club, or worse still, considering the job of the person who died.

“The ‘team’ for those who know football represents a bubble outside the spotlight where less media-friendly figures can be leaders and virtuous examples for the others. That was the case for our Graziano, who for 26 years worked at Lecce, and as far as we are concerned, will continue to be with us.

“Graziano Fiorita died while he was in the training retreat with the squad, far from his wife and four children, and is still lying thousands of kilometres away from home, waiting for the magistrates to authorise his return.

“This game should not have been played today, but all attempts to delay it were cynically rejected. We thank Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi for trying to the bitter end, without success, to reorganise the match on a more suitable date.

“The team will step onto the pitch despite the fact they only left Salento today, with the vain hope of a rethink that never arrived. Graziano’s memory would not be honoured by refusing to play, or fielding the youth team players.

“When faced with a grave injustice, we do not respond by blatantly violating the rules, that would be like competing with the Lega on who would behave worse. We will play the ‘match of trampled values,’ but we do it wearing an anonymous white jersey, that does not represent us. It has no colours, no badges, no logos.

“We will return to wearing our jersey when Graziano will be back home and can be honoured, as he deserves, by his people.”

Fiorita had worked for Lecce as a physiotherapist for over 25 years and was a well-loved member of the club.

The jersey they wore was not entirely blank, as it included a black mourning ribbon and the phrase: ‘No values, no colours’