The decisions of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrive regarding the presence of unauthorized people near the entrance to the tunnel leading to the changing rooms, in the presence of two unidentified people, but allegedly attributable to the Novara Company. Here is the text:
The Sports Judge,
With the assistance of Irene Papi and the AIA Representative Mr. Marco Ravaglioli, having read the reports drawn up by the member of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Field Commissioner dated 16 September 2024 as well as the report of the Race Director and the consequent order with the which preliminary investigations were carried out, with particular reference to the presence of two unidentified people but allegedly attributable to the Novara Company and to the conduct carried out towards the Quaterna Arbitrale, in relation to which they were asked to:
“- identify, where possible, the aforementioned people and consequently to ascertain the qualification held and/or the functions performed in the interest of the Novara company;
– carry out all further and possible investigations useful for the precise reconstruction of the facts and the content of the allegedly blasphemous sentences uttered at the time. Furthermore, he requests that all the most appropriate investigations be carried out regarding the episode reported as reported by the technical body Mr. Fabio Comito, after hearing the aforementioned.”
Having seen the report sent by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office to this Judge in response to the request made, observe the following.
In light of the investigations carried out, it must be considered that STINÀ ANTONIO is certainly identified as one of the two people responsible for the conduct towards the Fourth Match Official.
In this regard, the members interviewed reported the following circumstances.
VITALI: “I remember well seeing Antonio Stinà of Novara reach the changing rooms together with other managers, who I don’t know, and protest against the fourth official, surrounding him…. Of the people represented in the photo, only Antonio Stinà was present in the changing rooms at the end of the match, who, as I said, complained vehemently about the refereeing towards the Fourth Official of the match, surrounding him, facing him and blocking his progress. ADR: I specify that I did not hear any blasphemous expressions at that moment, but only protests towards the Fourth Officer.”
The COMMITTEE: “While I was going to the changing room, but before I arrived, from the steps in the tunnel leading to the changing room, I see a person, without a badge, coming out in the opposite direction to me, with a face known to me as already seen in the stands in the match just concluded and in others I have seen. I specify that I did not physically see whether the person had left the referees’ locker room or not. At this point I asked Novara’s referee officer, Mr. Davide Cortese, if this person was the President, but to my question, Mr. Davide Cortese replied that he was the Sales Director without mentioning his name. Whereupon I went into the referees’ locker room and the Fourth Match Official, Mr. Riccardo Dasso of the Genoa Section told me that the person I met earlier railed against him, face to face, to show all his disappointment against the race direction, not specifying whether the episode had occurred at ‘Inside or outside the changing room’.
LOMBARDI: “while the third faced the Fourth Officer in an aggressive and threatening manner, placing himself in front of him and hindering his progression, face to face….. The third was a middle-aged man, of robust build, approximately 1.80 m tall cm, rather bald except in the back part of the skull, where he had grey/white hair, with long enough white sideburns dressed completely in dark from head to toe…. I recognise, without any doubt, the “third” in both photos person who confronted the Fourth Official at the end of the match, at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the changing rooms. In both photos he is third from the right wearing a blue coat; in photo A he is looking to the right and in photo B his hands are clasped…. I confirm that the subject identified by me above faced the Fourth Official at the end of the race and insulted him, facing him face to face, as indicated by me in the tender report where he was indicated as “the second unidentified person”. I categorically exclude that blasphemous phrases were uttered by him or by other individuals during the aforementioned protests.”
The above statements fully reflect what was reported in the report by the Fourth Official of the match, namely: “Furthermore, at the end of the match, at the beginning of the tunnel leading to the changing rooms, under the eyes of the federal prosecutor who was nearby, I was approached by an unidentified person but attributable to the host team as reported by the prosecutor’s office, who stood face to face at a distance of about 5 cm, preventing me from continuing to walk and uttering blasphemous expressions: you are poor, you are in bad faith. Together with the latter there was another person present, identified by the prosecutor’s office and attributable to the sporting director of the host team, who addressed us the same blasphemous expressions already mentioned above”.
Indeed, the Fourth Officer qualifies as blasphemous the insults and insults directed towards him by the respective authors, which, in essence, coincide with those reported by the subjects examined.
In light of the convergent findings presented, STINÀ must be considered one of the two perpetrators of the conduct carried out against the Fourth Match Official. Furthermore, it emerges that the aforementioned carries out the function of Commercial Director within the NOVARA Company, as per the documentation acquired in documents and declarations of the Vice President of the same. With the consequent performance of functions in the interest of the host company and relevant to the sector regulations.
On the other hand, the investigations did not allow us to fully identify the other person who, in the same circumstances of place and time, engaged in conduct similar to that examined against the Fourth Man, nor to verify whether the fans responsible for the conduct carried out in damage to the Referee Observer whether or not they were registered. However, although some of them wore the badge of the NOVARA Company, it was not possible to fully identify them.
In this regard, it is worth noting that the fans’ conduct was confirmed by COMITO and PENNATI.
It follows that the Host Company is held accountable for such conduct, in light of the reasons underlying the conduct, which consisted of alleged refereeing errors to the detriment of the Host Company and of the NOVARA badge worn by some of the agents. For the reasons set out, it adopts the following measures.
INHIBITION FROM CARRYING OUT ANY ACTIVITY WITHIN THE FIGC, FROM HOLDING FEDERAL OFFICES AND FROM REPRESENTING THE SOCIETY WITHIN THE FEDERAL FRAMEWORK
UNTIL NOVEMBER 14, 2024
STINÀ ANTONIO (NOVARA)
for having, at the end of the match, behaved in a correct, disrespectful and insulting manner towards the Fourth Official, blocking the way for the aforementioned official, preventing him from continuing his journey towards the changing rooms and uttering offensive and disrespectful epithets towards him. Continuation considered, measure of the sanction in application of the articles. 2, 13, paragraph 2, and 36, paragraph 2, letter. a), CGS, having assessed the overall methods of conduct and the managerial role held in the Company.
COMPANY FINE €1,000.00
NOVARA
A) for having a person, unidentified but referable to the Company, at the end of the match, behave in a correct, disrespectful and abusive manner towards the Fourth Official, blocking the way for the aforementioned official, preventing him from continuing his journey towards the changing rooms and speaking to the address him offensive and disrespectful epithets;
B) for having some of his supporters, positioned in the Press Tribune Sector, utter offensive and insulting words towards the Technical Referee Body at the end of the match and to have directed a spit towards him, without hitting him.
Considering the continuation between the aforementioned conduct and between them and those already subject to the sanctions imposed with CU no. 17/DIV of 09.17.2024, measure of the sanction in application of the articles. 4, 6, 13, paragraph 2, and 25 CGS, having assessed the overall methods of the conduct and the particular odiousness of the same