Frantic waiting in Taranto for the second qualifying round of the play offs against Picerno. Tomorrow evening the Ionian team will face Emilio Longo’s rossoblù at Iacovone at 8.30pm. Taranto supporters are pulverizing all the available tickets in a few hours in a stadium that promises to be sold out. The Apulian coach Ezio Capuano presents the match against the Lucanians in a press conference. Here are his statements:
About waiting for this match: ”There is an obligation to remember a song by Vasco Rossi when we say: and we are already still here. Let us always remember where we come from and what we have suffered. Remembering our journey is superfluous and history cannot be erased. We played in difficult conditions from the start, especially after the match against Foggia, playing games behind closed doors, playing every three days. And then we suffered a penalty certainly for negligence which, however, significantly penalized our progress. We would have expected some points. However, everyone should remember that my dignity is there and has always been there. I have always had an extraordinary group that I had the honor and pleasure of coaching. This season will never be forgotten. We will try in every way to continue to be there. Picerno will play for the win, they are an excellent team, they will play with carefreeness and the pressure will be all on us. Taranto has a great opportunity. This reality has suffered from amateurism. Now it’s another story. We have an entire province on our shoulders. We brought back enthusiasm and a sense of belonging.
On the warm audience: ”We know that in a very short time a lot of tickets have been destroyed and we know we have huge responsibilities. We owe it to an entire people and we will try to move forward. Tomorrow the heart will have to win, the sacrifices we have made. Taranto is a city that can start again from this and from this great enthusiasm that exists. I’m trying to make people understand the importance of this match and the great opportunity we have.”
On the prospects: ”We had a three-year project where the undersigned decided on the men first and then the players and the results were excellent. A big success. Tomorrow’s match prepares itself. I will always defend the work done by all my collaborators and first and foremost by President Giove. We did something unique. Let’s see what will happen tomorrow”
On the match against Picerno: ”When you play a one-off match you know that anything can happen. Just one episode and everything changes. Picerno is strong, they have the top scorer in the championship. He plays good football. It goes without saying all the good players they have. They will come to play with great carefreeness. We have reached a point that no one expected. Playing with two results out of three is paradoxically difficult. In any case we have the experience to do well”
On the controversy with Perinetti: ”I have great respect for him. He made the history of Italian football. I have unlimited respect for Avellino and I had the honor of being in that square. He shifts my thoughts. He is a person who enjoys my unlimited respect. I simply said that Taranto had an excellent championship and finished second. I talked about different market budgets. That’s all. I have always defended my team. I simply responded to a statement he made about second place.”
