Lecco, Serie B at risk for the Padua stadium: documents late – Corriere.it

Fifty years waiting for Serie B and everything could fade for a late Pec. That of Prefect and Quaestor of a Padua which – in its Euganeo stadium – should host (only for the first matches) the newly promoted team, with the city stadium (Rigamonti-Ceppi) currently not up to standard. this is the situation of the Calcio Lecco 1912 club, which – just last Sunday – had conquered on the field (beating Foggia 3-1 at home in the second leg of the Serie C playoff final) the much coveted and awaited (since 1973) cadet series.

Not even the time to put away the flags for the celebrations, in short, the race for registration was immediately underway. With deadlines so stringent (12pm last night, just over 48 hours after winning the promotion) as to force the Lecco headquarters in via Don Pozzi into a desperate race. With the 800,000 euros required for registration having been reclaimed – in record time – another race continued for patron Paolo Leonardo Di Nunno – a solid entrepreneur in the field of video games and slot machines. Even more desperate: the one at the temporary gaming venue. At first they relied on the nearby U-Power Stadium in Monza but, ultimately, the death of President Berlusconi would have forced Adriano Galliani to deny its availability. In the desire not to burden the Brianzas with further agreements with other companies before a possible (probable?) sale of the club.

Di Nunno and his staff, having fulfilled all the other requests for registration in Serie B, had therefore turned to the friend of Padova Calcio, by ex Milan ds Massimiliano Mirabelli. Obtained first availability of the biancoscudato club and then that of the mayor of the Venetian capital Sergio Giordani, Lecco therefore took care to ask for clearance from the public safety authorities: Prefect and Quaestor of Padua. As required by the legislation for registration in the Serie B League. A clearance that should have been received by midnight yesterday – via Pec – but which seems to arrive late, only on this day. Ergo: out of time.

Hence the real risk that the Serie B League officially rejectstoday (or tomorrow)the application for registration of the Calcio Lecco club 1912. Not assessing as relevant: in the first instance the objective difficulties in finding a legally compliant stadium available to host the Blucelesti from Como (the Catanzaro, promoted directly to Serie B at the end of Aprilin the same situation, took over twenty days to locate in the Via del Mare of Lecce, a temporary and substitute office); and according to that, the‘large delay in the playoff dispute (postponed by almost 2 weeks due to the controversial exclusion of Siena) they have postponed the timing and organizational logistics of a team promoted on the field only 48 hours before the expiry of the terms (really urgent?) for enrollment in the new category.

Not only that, the mayor of Lecco, Mauro Gattinoni, and patron Di Nunno have already reached an agreement (Calcio Lecco would pay) on the works to bring the stadium up to standard — cost between 500 and 700 thousand euros — concerning: installation of turnstiles, expansion of seats (from the current 4995 to 5,500 required by the Serie B League), implementation of lighting (from 800 lux to 1200 lux) and chairing of two curve sectors still lacking.

That of the rejection of the application for registration – of ua team promoted on the field and solid from an economic point of view, with just 48 hours to fulfill the demands of the new League

competence – would be an unprecedented case in national football. A situation that is now being closely monitored by other companies as well. Primarily from
Brescia of Massimo Cellino, newly relegated to C
, which however was seen to reject the paradoxical application for enrollment in B presented yesterday, but in open controversy with another pending case. That of Reggina, in serious economic crisis and late with some (substantial) tax obligations.

To be seen if, in the event of Lecco being excluded from the Serie B championshiphis place would really be taken by Cellino’s Brescia. Or from Foggia, defeated by the Blucelesti in the playoff final. PendingThen, also remains the other relegated from Serie B, Perugia. In a few hours we will know the assessments on this umpteenth Italian bureaucratic mess, which could lead to infinite delays for the definition of the staff of the B 2023-’24 series, whose mandatory closure is set for 7 July next.

Meanwhile now, in a city of Lecco drunk with joy until last night for a promotion awaited for half a century, everyone is waiting. Definitive rejection, suspension of enrollment pending further fulfilments by virtue of (objective) delays in the conclusion of the playoffs; or extension for a few days?