CARRARA. From the emotions of promotion to the commitments in view of a Serie B chased for 76 years. President Fabio Oppicelli, at Carrarese from 2008 to 2012 and then from 2017 to today, takes stock of the situation at the Azzurri team, on the eve of the start of the new sports season.
How did you experience this moment of great euphoria at the helm of Carrarese?
«By now I have been in many championships as president of Carrarese and I have seen all the colors, for better or for worse. Just as the relegation was very bad (to Serie D in the 2009-2010 season, then Carrarese was readmitted to the Lega Pro), the promotion from C2 to C1 (2010-2011) was beautiful. However, both due to the climate in the city and the historicity of the event, you realize that this return to Serie B takes on a clearly different importance from everything else. An important leap in category awaits us and I believe that, in addition to adapting from a sporting point of view, we will have to try to make a 360-degree leap in quality, to be up to par with an important championship like Serie B. We will go and play in another dimension. We are curious to go and compare ourselves on these stages. We are happy first and foremost for the club and the owners, the efforts made over all these years and for the city, for our fans. We will try to be competitive. This doesn’t mean making fantasy dreams, but trying to come out of every field with the spirit we showed in the second half of the season.”
Among the first problems to be addressed is certainly that of the stadium…
«Clearly it will be essential to be able to play on our pitch as soon as possible, both due to a habit of playing on synthetic surfaces and due to the climate of the Marmi stadium. We will never stop thanking Pisa for hosting us on its pitch, but we hope to return to our home as soon as possible.”
There is a lot of work to be done at the stadium.
«Yes, there are many, as are the complications, but there is good will on the part of everyone, starting with the municipal authorities and our society, to accelerate this process as much as possible. It won’t be easy, but it’s something that will have to be addressed in the best possible way.”
If you could take an image or an episode from the season with you, what would you choose?
«Clearly the return playoff final, which thanks to the draw we had the opportunity to play at the Stadio dei Marmi. It would still have been a party, but celebrating the promotion in someone else’s house wouldn’t have been so nice. On the day of the match there was an atmosphere in the city that we had never experienced or seen.”
You are a big Genoa fan, what will it be like to experience Sampdoria-Carrarese?
“Will be difficult. If we take a few steps back, for us it was an event to play a friendly match with Sampdoria in Carrara (in 2008, when Antonio Cassano took the field among the Blucerchiati, returning after an injury, ed.). At that time we were a sparring partner and today we can think of playing against Sampdoria in the championship. It will be an emotion to return to Marassi, where I was both as a fan and as a manager (of Genoa, ed.), and we are aware that it will be a very difficult match, like many others that await us, but the best part is going to play them ».
Of course, it won’t just be Sampdoria….
« We will face many very important places, but we will have to be good at taking points in those difficult fields. Every year in Serie B there is on average only 6-8 points difference between playoffs and playouts and even the points gained on difficult pitches make the rankings in the long run.”
