Football in Catania, from elimination to birth: one year later

“We inform you that the Court of Catania – Bankruptcy Division – today ordered the termination of the temporary practice of the privileged branch of the football company Calcio Catania”.

With a few dry streaks exactly a year ago, on April 9, 2022, the Court of Catania ordered the termination of the temporary practice of the business branch of Calcio Catania SpA, a ruling which, after a few hours, led to the cancellation of the FIGC affiliation of the club and the creation ofRusazuri excluded Starring Siri C.

For Catania football, the darkest moment has come, the end of the matches, with the added humiliation of not even being able to complete the current season.

Bankruptcy and exclusion of Calcio Catania

The exclusion from the tournament marked the end of Calcio Catania, already declared bankrupt by court on December 22, 2021 after years of poor management, deep economic and financial difficulties stemming from the last phase of the Pulferente era and which, then, are disastrous. Di Siji’s management has not been able to cure.

That’s how we get to April 9, 2022: Catania finds itself without a team, with no more color to support it, with its gaze directed to a future then vague and devoid of certainty.

the next day , April 10thInside the Torre del Grifo Sports Center, a kind of farewell takes place: the fans meet the players and the coaching staff, the only ones who fully honor their commitments.

On that day, amidst choirs, flags, bitter tears and hopes, the words Mr. Baldini addressed to the masses were echoed: “You are masters of this faith, do not allow anyone to reach this moment any longer.”

April 9, 2022, one year later: What a rebirth!

Football, like life, does not belong to a static dimension, but thrives on dynamism, it develops and changes rapidly: everything can collapse, as it is born, from one moment to the next. This is exactly what happened in Catania.

Who knows how much, just a year ago, one could have imagined a rebirth of the red-and-blue club with such strength, dynamism and illumination: Catania swept the Serie A championship with at least six matches, promptly regained possession of the lost Serie C, and above all , seems to have laid the foundations for an important, strong and ambitious future.

This is, after all, the President’s project Pelligra Rosary which, apart from the tangible results thus far obtained in the sports arena, had the great merit of rekindling the fuse, which was of passion, which was only waiting to be kindled.

Because Catania has always had a thirst for football, but there was a lack of personalities capable of directing this energy towards concrete goals. Now that they seem to be there, Rossazzurri fans can look ahead, aware of what appears to be a reality destined to only get stronger in the years to come: Catania is back.

Simon Neir