DG Cittadella: “Compared to those who let doped athletes play, it’s unfair. Pres. Pisa? Unsportsmanlike”

It was August 27th, and on the 3rd day of the Serie B championship they faced each other Citadel and Pisawho ended the match at 1-1; However, the result was not approved, following a complaint from the Nerazzurri team who had identified an irregularity by their opponents. In fact, Jacopo Desogus, who later entered the pitch, did not appear in the match list. From there, a legal battle made up of courses and counter-appeals, closed today, when the CONI Guarantee Board rejected Cittadella’s appeal and confirmed Pisa’s victory by default.

Outcome that was not liked by the Director of the Cittadella Stefano Marchetti which, as reported trivenetogoal.itspoke thus: “The sentences must be respected. As a sporty and correct person, I accept the sentence because it is right. What I don’t accept and what hurt me a lot is the unsportsmanlike attitude of president Corrado. He was unsportsmanlike to a degree never seen before. This is something that really bothered me. The history of Cittadella speaks clearly, that of president Gabrielli and mine as well. Everyone recognizes Cittadella as a model, a way of experiencing football that is difficult to imitate. We have been equated with clubs that allow disqualified or doped athletes to play for a mistake of a name by the Team Manager, when things are very different. I believe that matches should be played on the pitch, not in the courtrooms. I repeat, I accept and respect the sentence, but don’t tell me that President Corrado is a sporting person. There is great disappointment especially for a president who should be a colleague and our representative in the League. His sportsmanship, along with that of his son, is zero. They are two unsportsmanlike people at the highest level. This sentence is the saddest page of my career and leads me to make some personal reflections. I don’t like this way of experiencing football very little. This thing bothered me a lot. I’m used to football on the pitch, I don’t like the politics of football. Mr. Corrado should have won on the field, given that he is much stronger than Cittadella and is fighting for Serie A. Winning with stamped cards is not sporting“.

Marchetti then concludes: “The points must be scored on the pitch and we haven’t been good up until now. And I underline this, the points must be scored on the pitch. It should apply to everyone. Words count for nothing today, facts are needed. I hope that all that what happened to us in terms of injuries is over. We can play it on a mental level, but we have to turn this situation around.”