“Dear friends, we call you friends because as Perugia fans we should look at you who are affiliated with our team, as such. In reality we contact you to tell you about our sadness and our anger in describing the uncomfortable situation in which the players find themselves Perugia fans, due to the management of the team by our sole administrator Massimiliano Santopadre”. Thus began the new form of protest of some Ultras groups in the North (Ingrifati, Red Army and Nucleo XX Giugno) against President Santopadre. With a letter sent to the clubs affiliated to Perugia calcio, the clubs that have joined the Academy project, a project born 13 years ago under Santopadre management, managed by Mauro Lucarini, and which sees 135 clubs affiliated to the red and white club, in Italy and ‘abroad. “We want to clarify immediately that we never thought that you who have decided to join Perugia football have the slightest responsibility for what is happening in our city… With this Perugia hopes to see your boys succeed in the world of football and reach their dreams, it is practically impossible, given the lack of planning that underlies the affiliations. It should be added that the collaboration with Massimiliano Santopadre is in fact a slap in the face that you give to the wounded city and to its fans, humiliated and vilified by this. adventurer whose sole aim is his own personal gain and certainly not to help your children grow and give opportunities. For these reasons we ask you, as an act of respect towards the city of Perugia, to interrupt any relationship with Perugia football, until this. will remain in the hands of the current owners.” Usually, unsuccessful projects, losing strategies, missed objectives, disappointed expectations are contested. And therefore not the Academy, a project also envied by higher category clubs which every year also organizes an initiative involving the entire province with the Academy cup. But in yet another demonstration of protest by the ultras there is another objective. Perugia fans sent the letter to the clubs asking them to take a step back to hit Santopadre on an economic level. Because the president of Perugia with the Academy would, according to the fans, only have an economic return through the technical sponsor of Frankie Garage. After the banners, the chants, the protest at home, now the request for the clubs to leave. And tomorrow there will be the procession, to celebrate Perugia’s birthday and to protest Santopadre.
