Explosive, essentially, the interview that Nicolò Melli granted to Corriere della Sera (specifically to Flavio Vanetti) and which, this morning, shook up not only the ground of the basketball part of Milan, towards Olimpia. The separation between the club and its now former captain, in fact, will almost certainly deprive the Italian championship of one of its most important stars, given that Fenerbahce is (again) in the column of the Italian national team.
Thus the former Olimpia number 9: “Before the uproar it was necessary to imagine the separation from Milan: I wasn’t thinking of leaving. I acknowledge this is a legitimate choice made by the company, however I was pleased by the testimonies of affection I received. I would have stayed, but things come in twos. It was not so. I’m sorry that it is said and written that I left Milan”
And then comes the attack on the man who is not only Olimpia’s coach: “After the media day following the scudetto I spoke with Ettore Messina and we also went into detail about the offer that the club sent me in April, the only one received in recent months. I said: let’s meet and address the issue; I played for Olimpia for 7-8 years and I’m the captain, all this has a value, right? Furthermore, it is not only important what you do, but also how you do it. The meeting was positive and proactive. Two or three days ago I received the phone call, which lasted 45 seconds, in which Ettore informed me that the company had decided to take another direction. I repeat: legitimate choice, but it was not explained to me whether the reason was technical or of another nature“.
Basketball: Italy, 13 remain in the rally towards the Pre-Olympic. They say goodbye to Diouf, Grant and Vitali
See more
Fiery words, those of Melli, which bring out a clear problem of how the issue of what was never a renewal was addressed. It cannot be ruled out, at this point, that behind the nervousness shown by the player in the final part of the season there were also these problems.
Regarding Italy playing tonight against Georgia and, at the beginning of July, in the Pre-Olympic, Melli remarks: “This group has always done well and has enthusiasm. Then we start with little pressure: we are not the favourites. They will be one-off matches and anything can happen. In 2021 we were able to overturn the prediction: we can do it again, even if three years ago the team was a little different […] Inside-outside Italy-Lithuania? It’s wrong: anything can happen in these matches. And the home team, which we will face in the first phase together with Bahrain, must be considered the favourites: I expect a more solid Puerto Rico than the one faced in 2023 in view of the World Cup“.
