Viadana If in rugby Viadana has returned this year to the glories of the past, fighting until the end for the scudetto, in volleyball the shutter falls on the men’s club of the coastal town. As written in recent days, the sporting title was sold to Geetit Bologna, which had decided to no longer participate in the A3 series, reduce costs, start again with young people and precisely from series B. The Federation requires that the right be sold in areas neighboring and so the Bolognese, after dealing with various situations, reached an agreement with the Mantua club. On the other hand, the president Valeriano Rossi was left alone, without collaborators and managers, and over time managing a company had become too complicated. Once the season was over, he said stop. The person who helped him in the last year was the coach Alberto Panciroli, who however had already anticipated that he would not be able to make his availability for 2024/25. After five seasons in a row in Viadana, it was physiological to feel like I was at the end of a cycle. «I’ve heard rumours, I’m very sorry – says the former Riviera coach – It’s a bad blow, my heart aches because Viadana is a historic club in the province of Mantua, but the president has remained alone: he has always done everything possible . Over time the energy dwindled and when sporting director Cigolini also left, everything was more difficult. Over the last year I have tried to help him, but there are many things to follow from an organizational point of view for a company. And the new sports reform certainly hasn’t helped. However, there were no financial problems: he deserves recognition for never having missed a payment.” It’s a shame not to have finished with the play offs by a whisker: «It would have been the worthy conclusion of a cycle: in five years we have reached the top three three times and the play offs twice. It’s been a while and with a light heart I say that we had a good season. Between injuries, organizational problems and last minute defections, we were there fighting with the top teams until the end. It was a tough and competitive group. Villa d’Oro and Sassuolo deserved it; in the post season, with the defections of Carnevali, Silva and Menichetti, we wouldn’t have been able to go that far.” Once the title is sold, the players are free and on the market: «With the season they have had they will have no problems finding a team. Too bad because there were no economic problems, so the bulk of the group would have remained. Instead, I’m returning home, to Reggio, to the club where I started: that of the Fire Brigade, newly promoted to Serie B. The objectives will be different: with a team of young people we will fight for salvation.” (c)
