The following day, the bitterness at Melfa’s Gela was even greater due to the epilogue of the match against Academy Catanzaro, game two of the playoff semi-final suspended with 6:14 to go with the guests leading 54-59. A match still very open, with the hosts in the running for a success that would have reopened the question of qualification for the final. Then Sipovac’s rude gesture, the clash with Emanuele Caiola and tense nerves on the pitch and in the stands.
But nothing so serious as to justify a definitive suspension decided by the referee table. Especially if we consider that in January, precisely in Catanzaro in the match against Giarre, a Calabrian fan entered the pitch hitting an Etna player with his fist: in that case the match was not only not suspended, but continued and Catanzaro won by maintaining first place in the rankings. Two weights and two measures, evidently.
«We are very sorry – says Fabio Cipolla, vice president of Melfa’s -. We are sports people, we accept the verdict of the field but the truly serious episode is that of Sipovac who provokes our bench and the public and his coach, while admitting the seriousness of the fact, does not replace him. Some of our supporters took it upon themselves, it’s true, but the elements to definitively suspend the match weren’t there.”
«It was enough to temporarily suspend – adds Cipolla – and call the captains and coaches to invite everyone to resume calmly. We are sorry to note that one of the two referees always puts his best foot forward when he comes to referee in Gela. The absence of the field commissioner is a serious shortcoming of the Federation. In Catanzaro – concludes the manager – much worse happened in January and the game continued. Now we await the FIP’s decision.” Decision that should arrive by tomorrow.
