From Forza Forlì to Forza Certaldo. Yesterday afternoon, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected Forlì’s appeal. This was to be expected. The result of last week’s match lost 2-1 in Carpi therefore remains the one gained on the pitch. And Ravenna – vice leaders at -2 from the top – remains clinging to the dream of promotion (or play-off), only in the case of a chain of results, the first cornerstone of which becomes the feat that Certaldo should accomplish in Carpi, without prejudice to the Giallorossi’s success against Imolese, at the Benelli. In short, everything in 90′. And, everything, once again, as happened in the last few days, with their legs on the green rectangle, but with their heads (and their mobile phones) on their rivals’ pitches.
Forlì’s tenacity and determination in pursuing their rights in the playoffs have added some spice to a season finale characterized by many better manageable situations, starting with the Pistoiese case, with the Tuscan team excluded from the championship 3 rounds to go and associated cancellation of the results of the entire season. A little more courage would have been needed by the sports judge to do justice to an objectively distorted championship, and accept the request of Forlì, who had pointed the finger at the use of a certain Cecotti, a Carpi player, guilty of having served the disqualification round, in fact, in the match against Pistoiese, but of not having ‘recovered’ it when all the results were cancelled. Ball in the center, then. For the last time, before the final sentences. Sentences of the field. Promotion and salvation are intertwined.
Ravenna must beat Imola and hope that Certaldo does not lose in Carpi. If the league leaders draw, we go to a play-off. If the league leaders lose, the Giallorossi will celebrate. But why should Certaldo make so much effort? The Tuscans have their backs against the wall. To avoid relegation and access the play-off, they absolutely must win at the ‘Cabassi’, and hope for 2 concurrent results, that is, that Progresso loses in Budrio against the already relegated Mezzolara, and that Sammaurese loses at home against the already safe Sangiuliano City . Only with these ‘impossible’ results would the playout mechanism be reactivated, i.e. the gap between 13th and 16th place, and between 14th and 15th, would be reduced to less than 8 points. Borgo San Donnino would also benefit in extremis from all this, as they also play an ‘impossible’ match in Acquaviva against Victor San Marino. So far, numbers and case studies. Then there is the moral question. If Pistoiese had completed the season (and nothing would have changed, because you can fail and disappear from the geography of football, even by honoring the pitch in the last 3-4 games), we would have reached the Ravenna-Carpi play-off. Which, perhaps, would have been the fairest epilogue.
