Brescia president Massimo Cellino discussed the Coronavirus emergency, it’s effect on football and it’s wider effect on Italy in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Rome based newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
“What recovery, what season to finish, I think about next year, only that. The cup, the Scudetto… Lotito wants it? Take it. He’s convinced he has an unbeatable team, let’s give him that idea.”
Cellino then discussed the statement made by fans from Lombardy calling for the season to be ended, considering the incredibly hard impact the Coronavirus has had on the northern regions of Italy.
“Have you or haven’t you read the statement from the Lombardy fans? They don’t want it to start again. They forbid it, not the federation. Life first. Life, damn it. There are others who bring oxygen to hospitals, others who mourn their dead, others who are still intubated. No more games this year. Think about the next season. Some people still don’t realise what’s happening, and that something is worse than the virus. I don’t believe in miracles. I stopped doing that a long time ago. Let’s reset. How many games were played?”
He justified why he thinks that the league should be totally called off, considering that 26 out of 39 games have been played.
“That’s one third of the league left. The season’s gone, if anybody wants this damn Scudetto, take it. It’s closed. That’s it. And I don’t talk like that because Brescia is last in the league. We’re last because we deserve it. I deserve it first. A third of the league has been ended, and then a third of the players’ salaries, a third of television rights and a third of taxes are cut. It’s the easiest way to make things right.”
Finally, Cellino defended his decision to push for a return to training, despite his words calling for the end of the season.
“The truth is another. After the last match we were thinking of continuing training in groups of two, three players at a time. A dozen mini-sessions a day. We have a huge sports centre, fifteen hectares of lawn, and to develop the program, one trip, two kicks to the ball, we needed trainers, not coaches. The ones we called are not technicians, but basic trainers. I ask why have the Coaches’ Association complained.”
Serie A, like many other leagues around Europe, has been postponed until further notice due to the Coronavirus emergency in the continent. UEFA have agreed to postpone the upcoming European Championship in order to allow leagues to finish with regularity, although there are still many unanswered questions.
