A very heavy blow arrives from the National Federal Tribunal – Disciplinary Section which profoundly shakes the Giallorossi football environment. Following the referral proposed by the Federal Prosecutor on August 20th, the Court ruled with an official ruling filed today, inflicting on the company ACR Messina 1900 SSD ARL well 20 points penalty in the standingsto be served in the relevant championship of the current sports season. The new ranking: Acireale and Niscemi 16, Mazzarrone 15, Atlethic Gioiosa 13, Nebros 12, Messana 11, Scordia 9, Melilli and Giarre 8, Jonica and Vittoria 7, Leonzio 5, Augusta and Palazzolo 4, Viagrande 3, Messina -3.
In addition to the heavy penalty which inevitably compromises the club’s ranking, the club was sentenced to pay 1,800 euro fine. At this point Messina must focus above all on the Italian Cup for promotion to D.
The measure is not limited to the club, but also heavily involves several members who have been banned and given long suspensions:
Stephen Alaimo : 2 years of inhibition starting from the first valid membership.
Andrew Sorrentino: 20 match ban to be served in official matches.
Matheus Reis Daquinto: 2 match ban to be served in official matches.
Alexander Cirino: 2 match ban to be served in official matches.
Moustapha Sambou: 1 day disqualification to be served in official matches.
News destined to make noise and dictate a critical turning point for the team’s sporting path this season.
The cause of the penalty
The file was opened after two complaints: the joint one from Sancataldese and Acireale, presented on 16 April by the lawyer Salvatore Pirrello, and the one from Reggina, dated 20 April, signed by Professor Ferruccio Maria Sbarbaro. The clubs requested that the nullity of the registration and membership cards of some players be ascertained. The core of the dispute concerned the ten-month ban imposed on Alaimo by the National Federal Court. According to the prosecution’s approach, the president’s signature on the forms for changing the membership of some players was not an internal step of no importance, but a necessary requirement for the validity of the practice. Since according to the jurisprudence of the sports justice bodies the acts carried out by an inhibited person are affected by radical nullity and with retroactive effect, it would follow that those footballers took to the field in the absence of a valid sporting title. Hence the penalty.
The ACR goes on the attack and announces a legal battle: “We will appeal and ask for damages”
The Company, meanwhile, expresses its profound disappointment and firmly rejects the conclusions of a ruling that it deems unfair and incomprehensible. The sanction affects three realities. The first is a serious sports project, which saved a sports title acquired through a judicial procedure. The second is an extraordinary fan base, the third an entire city. None of these deserve to pay for acts that the National Amateur League has validated and the Italian Football Federation has ratified. We will examine the reasons with the utmost attention as soon as they are filed. However, we are already announcing that ACR Messina 1900 will defend its reasons in all competent venues, both sporting and ordinary, starting with the appeal before the Federal Court of Appeal. We will move forward until full recognition of the damage perpetrated on individuals unrelated to the contested offenses who trusted in the correctness of the federal actions. The Company will also make a request for compensation for all damages suffered and to be suffered, of a financial, sporting and image nature, against those who are participants in various capacities in what occurred.
Basile: «The Municipality alongside ACR Messina»
Mayor Federico Basile defines the 20 point penalty inflicted on ACR Messina as heavy, a decision that risks compromising the team’s sporting path and the expectations of an entire city. The mayor expresses closeness to the fans, unrelated to the matter, and to the owners, recognizing their commitment and investments to relaunch Giallorossi football. Basile underlines that the club believed in Messina, taking over the sporting title through a judicial procedure and continuing to invest significant resources. The municipal administration confirms its availability for institutional collaboration and announces that it will evaluate all possible initiatives to support the club’s reasons. The mayor hopes that the announced appeal will provide full clarity and protect the sporting project, reiterating that Messina deserves to return to football with enthusiasm, ambition and confidence in the future.