It was supposed to be a match between secondary school students dedicated to charity and instead it was marked by an unpleasant episode. The “Match of the Heart”, which involved the representatives of “Valentini” and “Fermi”, organized at the Marulla stadium in Cosenza (with the proceeds donated to Unicef), took a bad turn when the “Guarascio go away” banner appeared in the stands, accompanied by chants against the current patron of Cosenza and the sole administrator Rita Scalise. At that point, one of the security personnel, according to what was reported by the students present, attempted, without luck, to take possession of the sheet displayed for the occasion: on this occasion, a seventeen-year-old fell to the ground and the intervention of the health workers was necessary (they applied a collar to him while awaiting the checks which then took place at the Annunziata emergency room).
Here is the story of the boy’s mother, still very shaken by what happened. «My son has a noticeable hematoma on his shoulder, due to the fall. Subsequently, a check-up in the emergency room was also necessary and the prognosis is 10 days. What happened? In the second part of the race, the boys displayed a banner against the company. I would like to point out that my son, despite agreeing with the message displayed on the sheet, was not among the supporters of the writing. Despite this, he sympathized with the young people present, demonstrating a discontent that is not only felt by young people but by the entire city. On the other hand, we also saw a banner like this during the passage of the Giro d’Italia, I don’t see what problem one displayed by students could create. I am also very shocked by what happened: I believe that in this way freedom of opinion is being suppressed. Logically we will file a complaint with the police after what happened. It could have been worse. The city, the fans and the mayor surrounded us with so much affection. The proximity of the company? We don’t accept it, because they don’t tell the truth: they are responsible, they were there during the organizational meetings with the kids. We cannot accept these falsehoods. They should have monitored minors, but instead…”.
The mayor’s message
Mayor Franz Caruso’s closeness to the young student who was injured at the stadium: “What happened does not exempt us from highlighting the climate that has been felt in the city for some time.” The mayor expresses his closeness to the young student who was injured at the San Vito-Gigi Marulla Stadium and to his family, hoping for an immediate recovery and for full light to be shed on the incident by the competent authorities.
“What occurred at the stadium during a sporting event reserved for students – stated the mayor – cannot be underestimated, nor archived as a marginal episode. When a young person ends up in the emergency room after moments of tension experienced inside a city stadium, it is necessary to stop and reflect with a great sense of responsibility.
I express my sincere closeness to the boy involved and his family who have certainly experienced moments of particular apprehension. The bodies responsible will, if necessary, carefully verify the dynamics of the incident and any responsibilities. What has occurred, however, does not exempt us from highlighting the climate that has long been felt in the city and throughout the province of Cosenza, around the events of Cosenza Calcio and the increasingly widespread protest against the owners and the company’s top management. What is most surprising in the story that occurred during an innocent football match between students is the attempt to stifle democratic dissent entrusted to a banner that they wanted to remove at all costs. It is clear that the now deteriorated relationship with organized fans is producing effects that go beyond the sporting sphere, impacting the social and civil climate of our community and this is demonstrated once again by what occurred even in the sporting context of a student tournament. Precisely for this reason it is necessary that a sense of responsibility, civil confrontation and mutual respect are recovered around Cosenza football and its various components. The passion of the fans represents a heritage of the city and cannot be transformed into a terrain of permanent tension or social exasperation. I believe it is completely clear that the Cosenza football affair involves not only the sporting aspect, but also the collective feeling of an entire community which today experiences a climate of strong exasperation, controversy and division which risks further compromising the serenity and social cohesion of our city. This is why it is necessary to make every effort and every useful action to get out of this situation of uncertainty, in such a way as to calm people’s minds and induce those in charge of the company to draw the necessary conclusions”.