Lega Serie A President rejects criticism of rescheduled fixtures | OneFootball

Lega Serie A President Ezio Maria Simonelli defends himself against bitter criticism of the fixture list changes, including forcing Lecce to play Atalanta just days after the death of their physiotherapist. ‘We had to protect the fairness of the league.’

The Serie A Week 33 and 34 fixtures were completely transformed by a series of unforeseeable events, above all the death of Pope Francis.

This saw games called off over the days of national mourning, then again on Saturday for his funeral.

There was a great deal of criticism over these changes too, specifically the suggestion Inter vs. Roma be played on the Saturday evening rather than Sunday.

“We believe the Lega Serie A made the choices that were technically most correct,” Simonelli told reporters in a press conference.

“The mantra must be to play as soon as possible and the first date was Wednesday, so we played them all together seeing as the Coppa Italia was later that evening.

“Let it be clear, I never would’ve dreamed of playing at the same time as the funeral of the Holy Father. But that was Saturday afternoon, so Inter vs. Roma could’ve been played in the evening. In accordance with the two clubs, we decided to move it to Sunday. Personally, I would’ve preferred to let Inter play on Saturday to guarantee them more rest ahead of the Champions League semi-final with Barcelona.”

Lecce furious with Lega Serie A response to mourning

BERGAMO, ITALY – APRIL 27: US Lecce players wear a special shirt in memory of US Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Lecce at Gewiss Stadium on April 27, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The other situation that caused controversy was the Week 34 fixture between Atalanta and Lecce, which had originally been scheduled for Friday, but Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita died suddenly in the team hotel on Thursday.

The club had wanted more time to deal with the shocking situation and the loss of a man who had been an integral part of their staff for over 25 years, but were ordered to play on Sunday evening.

They protested with a strong statement and by wearing an all-white kit with no logos, only a message reading: ‘No values, no colours.’

“I think the Lega Serie A showed great sensibility dealing with the loss that affected Lecce and the Fiorita family,” insisted Simonelli.

“We immediately called off and had to reprogramme the game. I won’t say ‘the show must go on,’ but we are the Lega Serie A: we must keep football going and ensure the league is as fair as possible. We tried to do everything possible, but we still had to protect the fairness of the league. We couldn’t further postpone a match that was so relevant for both the Champions League places and Serie A safety.

“I say it’s easy to criticise from the couch at home, but we took the best decisions possible, respecting the mourning of Lecce and the family, but also respecting the millions of football fans who need a fair league.

“In other sports, they go ahead even when there are tragic events. I remember Michael Schumacher took part in a Grand Prix a day after his mother had died. I remember the race went ahead at Imola after Ayrton Senna died on the track. We did everything possible and I therefore reject any criticism.”