Pistoia, 29 June 2024 – An evening which was supposed to develop in the name of sport, fun and healthy competition and which instead foundered in a series of violent episodes that forced the police to intervene.
Not the quietest of challenges at Frascari, theater of the Seniors semi-final of district tournament of Pistoia. To take the field White Deer e Leon d’Orowho battled for ninety minutes, tied at one all, while the Porta Lucchese district prevailed after the penalty shootout.
So far, everything was fine, at least until a brawl broke out on the pitch involving a couple of Leon d’Oro players who, from an initial and summary reconstruction, violently hit some Cervo Bianco members.
The situation soon degenerated and the police were called to restore order and also allow the numerous people present in the stands to leave the stadium without consequences. The one who paid the price, in particular, was a Cervo player who, after checks in the emergency room, was discharged with a prognosis of 5-7 days due to a hand injury.
Not nice moments and certainly not in keeping with the spirit of the neighborhood, as underlined by both of the neighborhoods involved who wanted to apologize to each other immediately after the incident.
“I have already apologized to Cervo Bianco and I want to renew them – emphasizes Andrea Corsini, head of Leon d’Oro –. We distance ourselves from what happened, indecent scenes that should never be seen on a soccer field. The competitive spirit and emotional tension are acceptable, all of this is not. As Leon d’Oro we distance ourselves from the behavior of the members, who will pay the consequences of what happened and will be removed from the neighborhood environment for a while. We are especially sorry for the many children and families present who had to see unfortunate scenes”.
He is joined by the head of the Cervo Bianco, Antonio Montoro, who also received a slap to the face. “But I too am not entirely free from blame – he admits –. The turmoil arose from some exchanges of words in which I should not have taken part as a manager. I therefore want to apologize again to the Golden Lion in a personal capacity I also want to underline the prompt intervention of the staff of both districts, who immediately worked to calm the waters and the union of intent seen in those moments must be the guideline for an event like this”.
Michele Flowers
