Ricardo Nebot
08/16/2020 - 15:23
- Clarín.com
- sports
The city of Perugia woke up this Sunday in Italy with a terrifying image: four dolls with players' jerseys hung in the overpass of the via Trancanelli passage (a bridge in Perugia in the area between Casanuova and San Sisto), with a flag with the phrase : "Vi vogliamo cosi" (we want them that way).
Three of the mannequins had Perugia shirts and the numbers 9, 23 and 27. They represented Pietro Iemmello, Marcello Falzerano and Gianluca Di Chiara , footballers who hours before had lost on penalties in the decisive match with Pescara , which decreed the relegation of the rojiblancos to Serie C (third category) in Italy. The fourth doll was in reference to the leaders.
The macabre threat occurred hours after the serious incidents that took place on the outskirts of the stadium and that later spread to different streets of the city; Some 700 fans awaited the departure of the team and the leaders and, enraged, threw bottles and firecrackers at them.
"There is a heavy air in Perugia. At least 700 rojiblancos fans gathered outside the club parking lot singing against president Massimiliano Santopadre and the players: the most attacked was undoubtedly striker Iemmello, who was the one who missed the penalty decisive ", published Corriere dello Sport.
Perugia lost heads-up against Pescara and fell to the series C. (Photo: @ACPerugiaCalcio)
At the end of the Italian second division tournament, Perugia and Pescara (where Argentine Hugo Campagnaro, world runner-up in Brazil 2014 with Alejandro Sabella's National Team, plays) had been equaled with 45 points and had to play a tiebreaker to define the fourth relegation. Livorno, Juve Stabia and Trapani had already lost the category.
The first leg, played last Monday at the Adriatico stadium, was 2-1 for Pescara. The return leg, at home to Perugia, had the same score, but for the locals, so the relegation had to be settled through penalties. And there the visitors won 4-2.
The fall of the 'Grifoni' sparked unrest throughout the city and the fact that the match was played behind closed doors did not prevent the demonstrations of violence after the match.
Bottle shots against the bus that regularly moves the team and also for the squad cars and managers were some of the signs of fury from the fans. And if the situation did not have serious injuries or worse consequences, it was due to the presence of the Riot Police, which allowed players and leaders to leave the stadium after 2.30 in the morning.
Of course: later the hanging dolls appeared , with the forceful vengeful message towards the footballers and the president of the club, which seriously disturbed the Italian authorities, who hope that it was only a threat. For now, they decided to reinforce security measures to prevent new acts of vandalism.
What is clear is that living with relegation is not just a drama in Argentina. And that out-of-control passions can end in events as macabre as those of Perugia.
FK