Lecce chose not to wear their standard away kit during Sunday`s Serie A match against Atalanta. The club expressed strong disagreement with the Italian league`s decision to postpone Friday`s game only until Sunday, following the passing of Lecce`s physiotherapist, Graziano Fiorita. Lecce had opposed playing the game on the weekend, as the club announced. To demonstrate their disappointment, they opted for a white jersey without the club logo, in what was described as an unprecedented but respectful gesture. The jerseys instead carried the message: `No value, no color.`
The club formally announced their decision and stance through a powerful official statement shared on their social media platforms:
“U.S. Lecce considers the league`s choice to reschedule the match against Atalanta just hours after the death of our Graziano Fiorita to be terribly disrespectful to the deep grief affecting his family, the club, and Lecce`s supporters. In other equally painful situations, more thoughtful decisions have been made. It appears a hierarchy of death exists, perhaps based on the prestige of the affected club, or even worse, on the role of the person who has passed away. For those familiar with football, the `team group` is a private space away from the public eye where less visible individuals can serve as powerful examples of virtue. This was certainly true for our Graziano, who served Lecce for 26 years and, as far as we are concerned, will continue to do so as long as this ownership remains. Graziano Fiorita passed away while at a pre-match team camp, far from his wife and four children, and he remains thousands of kilometers from home, awaiting authorization from the authorities for his return.”
Despite efforts by the Italian Ministry of Sport to alter the league`s decision, the schedule remained unchanged. Lecce commented on the situation, stating that “this match should not have taken place, but all attempts to postpone it further were cynically rejected. We thank the Minister of Sport, Andrea Abodi, who tried until the very last moment, albeit without success, to have the match scheduled for a more appropriate date. The team will proceed to play as planned, despite only departing Lecce today, still holding out hope until the end for a reconsideration that never came.”
Finally, the club explained their decision to wear the special jersey for the Sunday match.
“Graziano`s memory is not honored by refusing to play or by fielding a youth side. One does not respond to a grave injustice by flagrantly breaking the rules, as if honoring Graziano meant engaging in a competition with the league over who could act worse. We will play the `match of trampled values,` but we will do so wearing a plain white jersey that does not represent us, devoid of colors, crests, or logos. We will return to wearing our true kit when Graziano is back home and is rightfully honored by his community.”
