First aid, doctor and ambulance on the pitch, defibrillator. The insights into the sudden death of Mattia Giani, a Castelfiorentino United player originally from Ponte a Egola, San Miniato, revolve around these elements, to shed light on the immediate interventions following the illness he suffered on the pitch at Campi Bisenzio. Mattia, 26 years old, collapsed to the ground in the 15th minute of his team’s match against the home team, Lanciotto. He will die the following day, April 15, in hospital where he was rushed by emergency workers at the stadium.
Between these last two events, the request for clarification is strong. Meanwhile, the Florence Prosecutor’s Office has opened a file on the death of Mattia Giani. A tragedy that affected the world of sport and entire communities, from the Cuoio district to the Empolese Valdelsa where Giani lived and played, to the rest of Tuscany, for the many clubs in which he grew up as a player. As mentioned, they are at the center of the investigations the ambulance with the doctor and the defibrillator, on which questions were also presented by politicians: the first, according to what emerged, was absent and the second, the life-saving tool, was present but no one would have known how to use it. To report it to Republic of Florence he is the same father as Giani: “There was neither a doctor nor an ambulance at the sports field. This is the truth”, he says with pain and anger, reporting that initially the resuscitation was carried out by the team masseur. “No one knew how to use the defibrillator”. The father also told the newspaper that the family will take legal action. The same family that was present that cursed Sunday to watch Mattia play. Everyone was there in the stands, his parents, his grandfather and his girlfriend, with whom the young player had been living for a few days.
Another testimony is that of the mother of one of Giani’s teammates, also present in the stands, collected by the newspaper The Tyrrhenian Sea. Version that matches that of the footballer’s father, with first aid provided by the masseur, aided by a spectator. The woman adds that first an ambulance arrived, then a second with the doctor. From there the rush to the Careggi emergency room. Also from the Florentine edition of Republicthe aspects on the regulation: in Tuscany in Eccellenza matches, like the one in this specific case, they must be played with the obligation of an ambulance or a doctor on the sidelines, while the presence of a defibrillator is mandatory in every facility. The latter – which was present at Lanciotto and was then used by the health workers – is subject to periodic checks and in case of transgressions the sports association is punished with a fine, interruption of sporting activities or closure of the facility. However, as regards the possible presence of an ambulance or a doctor on the sidelines, the sanction is triggered (often between sixty and one hundred euros) only if the absence is reported by the referee, who however by regulation cannot postpone , do not start or pause the game. Hence, on the pages of the newspaper, the appeal of Paolo Mangini, president of the Tuscan Regional Committee of the National Amateur League, to ask at a national level for an integration of the regulations for the Eccellenza championship, so that the referee can have the power not to start the match in the absence of a doctor or ambulance on the sidelines.
There are therefore several aspects to clarify, to also answer a question that many are asking themselves at the moment. If Mattia Giani could be saved: the matter will be investigated by the prosecutor’s office. At the moment a model 45 file has been opened – for acts not constituting news of a crime and at the moment without suspects. The diagnostic test was scheduled for today in Careggi but has been suspended, waiting for the prosecutor’s office to order the autopsy.
Tags: Death footballer Mattia Giani investigations rescue efforts family shed light
