The city of Cesena rallied around the family for a final farewell to Edo Lelli, who passed away on 30 April at the age of 91. At the funeral in the Cathedral, representatives of the institutions, business and the world of football expressed their closeness to his wife Romana and his son Lorenzo, paying homage to a man who gave so much to the city also through his commitment to football, his great passion.
Son Lorenzo: “You were my favorite teammate”
At the end of the ceremony, Lorenzo Lelli gained the microphone for a touching memory: “Edo was of humble origins. Mother Ida went to work on foot in Macerone in the kitchens of seaside restaurants, father Agostino went to work in the mine in Belgium. He had to earn everything in life because no one could give him anything. For me you were my favorite teammatethe best tennis opponent, you trained me for life”.
Cesena Fc’s tribute
The guard of honor was made up of four boys from the Cesena youth sector, with the banners of Cesena FC, Rotary and Panathlon on the steps leading to the altar of the Cathedral. The tribute to Lelli comes from the varied souls of Cesena: from the flag of AC Cesena Giampiero Ceccarelli to Andrea Ciofi, a symbolic player always present in the years of Cesena Fc, born in 2018 after the bankruptcy. And then the vice mayor Christian Castorri, Davide Trevisani, Flavio Amadori, Bruno Piraccini, Corrado Augusto Patrignani, Davor Jozic, Massimo Bonini, Filippo Medri, Christian Lantignotti, Professor Maurizio Viroli and Ettore Rognoni, son of the founder of Ac Cesena. The church was populated by at least 250 people.
“He’s celebrating his Cesena”
The homily of Don Marcello Palazzi the entrepreneur and sportsman recalled: “Edo’s was a life not lived alone, but as a team player. Now Edo is celebrating the goal achieved by his Cesena thanks to going together. Freedom, respect and fairness were his principles.”
The friend who died in a bombing during the match
Little Edo Lelli was marked by an episode that he often confided in. During the war he played football with his friends at the “Campo delle Fornaci” (Mulini area). And on one occasion there was a bombing and one of his friends in a practice match was killed.
Paolo Lucchi and Michele Manuzzi: «A true gentleman»
«Remembering Edo Lelli means having the image of a true gentleman before your eyes – he remembers him the former mayor of Cesena Paolo Lucchi – in the field of entrepreneurship, in sports and in support of Cesena football, from a human and professional point of view. Because Edo was, first of all, this: a man capable of facing difficulties, as well as the lighter moments, always with a spirit of attentive and supportive participation, never centered on himself, which made you feel close to him.
It has happened to many people from Cesena on several occasions and certainly in 2018 when, setting to work to rebuild Cesena which had just failed with Dionigio Dionigi and a few others, we started with many uncertainties and few certainties. Among these, that of being able to count “regardless” on the involvement of Edo and his son Lorenzo. And so it was, of course. So much so that it’s easy to think, remembering him in this sad moment, that the promotion to Serie B these days is partly about him too. Edo will be missed by everyone.”
Michele Manuzzi remembers Edo Lelli with great affection: «He was our adventure companion in all the moments of our journey with Cesena. For us he was a lighthouse, the first point of reference, always present and never intrusive. Edo was first and foremost a great fan of Cesena and our working group, but also a refined connoisseur of sport. He guided us in all moments with his very healthy principles and personally was the link between Dino Manuzzi and Edmeo Lugaresi. I also want to remember the thickness of Edo. He was a great entrepreneur and an always curious person. He always wanted to inform himself, know and understand. It was nice to listen to him, but also to be listened to.”
