«You can lose, but not be humiliated by the institutions. In the absolute and deafening silence of politics and local institutions – writes the opposition municipal councilor Francesco Spina -, I cannot ignore some brief considerations: Bisceglie Calcio, at this moment, is the only social phenomenon capable of shaking emotions of our community. In the absence of important popular events, our city seems sleepy and soulless and, only with events linked to Bisceglie football, are there moments of collective emotion and popular passion. Even in this final part of the football season, the city has demonstrated its ability to respond, with its splendid fans and their passion, to the good results that were leading to the victory of the championship of excellence and promotion to Serie D.
I lived with my father as captain in 1975 and as mayor at the Flaminio in Rome, in a splendid Bisceglie-Pisa final, the greatest joys for two historic promotions to Serie D and then the extraordinary one to Serie C. Yesterday’s defeat in Maiori is a setback but it shouldn’t discourage us. In any case, all of us fans remain in doubt: what would have happened if yesterday’s match had been played in normal conditions, with the Bisceglie fans present to support their team or in a stadium more suited to a final of this level?
For anyone who has played football it is easy to understand that yesterday’s surreal match was certainly influenced by the unfortunate situation of having it played only with the presence of opposing fans. We don’t remember finals played in these conditions, but unfortunately the “political weakness” of our city is often seen on these occasions in which the interests of Bisceglie are trampled upon without initiatives and legitimate institutional reactions on the part of municipal representatives. What should they have done? Simply their duty: to protect the city by asking for the match to be moved to a venue suitable for the presence of Bisceglie supporters. We weren’t asking for a miracle, but the minimum wage. The players deserved it, the club deserved it, the fans who dreamed of the starry black and blue colors all season long deserved it. And yet nothing.
“Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is an orphan, this well-known aphorism attributed by some to John Keats illustrates in an exemplary way what happened yesterday. And, unfortunately, once again Bisceglie proved to be an orphan of the institutions. Those same institutions that should have risen up not allowing the final to be played in Maiori, without the support of its fans.
In any case, we must start again and thank the club, the coaches, the collaborators, the players and the splendid fans, who yesterday had to suffer not only the pain of the defeat, but also the humiliation of not being able to support your team in the final and of being discriminated against in an unacceptable way.
Defeat can be accepted, it’s part of sport. The humiliation of being ousted from the stadium of the final involving one’s team is unacceptable and offends the entire city, as much as the indolence and deafening silence of the municipal representatives.”
