Lecce Protest Against Serie A Over Atalanta Match Rescheduling After Longtime Staff Member's Death
Lecce's Clash With Serie A: Grief Meets Fixture List
Sometimes, football matches feel like a sideshow to the real drama off the pitch. This was the scene nobody in Lecce wanted: plans for a high-stakes Serie A game abruptly overshadowed by tragedy. Graziano Fiorita, the club’s cherished physiotherapist who’d cared for countless players over 26 seasons, died suddenly on April 24, 2025, during a training camp in Coccaglio, near Bergamo. Just 47 years old, Fiorita wasn’t just a name on the team sheet—he was part of the club’s family fabric, beloved by staff and players alike.
The shock was immediate and paralyzing. Lecce responded the only way they could—by postponing everything, returning home with a grief-stricken squad, and seeking time to mourn. Club directors reached out to Serie A, asking for space: the scheduled April 25 match against Atalanta would have to wait. The league initially agreed, putting football on pause for once.
But raw emotions soon turned to outrage. Serie A announced the game would be played just two days later, on April 27. For Lecce, the new date didn’t just feel insensitive—it felt like a cold, bureaucratic snub. The club’s statement called the move a “cynical rejection” of their grief. Players and coaches were asked to return to the pitch while Fiorita’s body still waited for repatriation, stuck in Coccaglio because of paperwork delays.
A Silent But Powerful Protest
Lecce decided to send their own message—one impossible to miss. For the rescheduled match, the squad took to the field stripped of their colors, sponsors, and even their iconic yellow-and-red crest. They wore plain white jerseys with no badge or branding, just a single black ribbon of mourning and the phrase in Italian: “No value, no colour.” It was as if to say, if the rules flatten our grief, then none of this matters.
This silent, visual protest hit home for fans and neutrals watching. That day in Bergamo, no one cheered as usual. The game felt secondary, every touch of the ball echoing frustration and hurt as much as competition. Lecce’s players looked distracted, yet determined to make a point. The match against Atalanta finished 1-1, but the real contest was between sporting values and institutional rigidity.
Club president Saverio Sticchi Damiani and team captain Giulio Donati openly supported the protest, stressing that football’s business side too often tramples on basic respect. They weren't alone—many supporters vented on social media, blasting the league for valuing the schedule over humanity. Even rival teams quietly offered condolences.
Lecce’s anger wasn’t just about the match date. The team felt forced to play before they’d even properly said goodbye. Fiorita’s body had yet to return home, delayed by paperwork, meaning his family and friends couldn’t start the grieving process. With a heavy heart, Lecce announced a public memorial at their Via del Mare stadium set for April 29. Fans and former players are expected to turn out in force, hoping to pay tribute to someone who gave so much of himself to the club.
This isn't the first time football has steamrolled over emotion in favor of business as usual. Yet Lecce’s protest, stark in its simplicity, stands out as a rare moment when the world stopped to look beyond the pitch—and remember the people who make the game matter in the first place.