Ettore Meli, new sports director of Acireale, was presented in the Press Room of the City Palace of Acireale, in the presence of the mayor Roberto Barbagallo and the sports councilor Rosario Raneri. Driven by the words of the president Giovanni Di Mauro (Enrico Strano was absent for work), as well as the general director Pasquale Leonardo, who underlined how we are still in the midst of the growth path undertaken last year, Meli expressed satisfaction with the choice of the Granata club, which, according to Di Mauro himself, beat the competition from several other clubs to get him. Answering questions from the journalists present, Meli underlined his attachment to Sant’Agata di Militello, where he was one of the architects of the so-called “Sant’Agata miracle” of recent years, explaining that he would have left that square only to accept challenges of great importance like the one that awaits him now in Acireale.
Regarding the City of a Hundred Bell Towers, he explained how it had impressed him since 2017, when he went as an opponent: “I have always noticed the great warmth of the fans and now I am happy to be an integral part of the project. It is a real path, serious, therefore not immediate, which requires time and work. Until recently, when we talked about Acireale, the players were wary, and not for a question of results, but of reliability. Now everything is changing, thanks to sound management. Last season the management did well to regain credibility. This is what makes the difference, and it pays off over time. In football you need organization, you need ideas and, above all, you need everyone to row on the same side. Now, after the great work carried out in recent months, comes the second step, which will lead to the construction of an operational structure that can allow the city to dream.” Regarding the objectives, the new sporting director wanted to keep a low profile: “We are interested in winning, in entertaining people and bringing them to the stadium. To do this you have to play football. If you move the ball well, the fans respond. And in this sense, the improvement of the turf at the stadium will be decisive: it is a fundamental factor that the new coach and I often talk about.”
