No Fiorentina without Prandelli or Corvino
After much unrest within the club over the past few weeks, Andrea Della Valle came to Florence on April 9 to attend two important matches against Inter. During his visit, he repeatedly said that the Fiorentina could not exist without Prandelli or Corvino.
Florence is not racist
On April 12, the day before Fiorentina’s game against Inter, where one of the players is often at the center of racist remarks, Viola defender Alessandro Gamberini said, ‘Florence is not racist.’ The fans might poke fun at the players, but the cheers are not racist. At the stadium, one person leads the fans in singing specific cheers meant to uplift and motivate the team.
A draw with Inter
On their match against Inter on April 10, the Fiorentina were missing half of its starting players either absent because of injury or on the bench: Gilardino, Vargas, Marchionni, Gamberini and Zanetti. The stadium was near maximum capacity with over 37,000 attendees, the largest crowd yet this year. In the first half, Brazilian striker Keirisson scored his second goal for the Viola, and Per Kroldrup got one past Inter to tie up the match 2-2. This is the second draw in a row for the Fiorentina, who need a few wins to move up in the Serie A rankings.
Fiorentina out of Italian Cup
One reason that the Fiorentina had hopes for the finals of the Italian Cup was to qualify to participate in the UEFA Europa League. After Inter scored one goal in the second half of the match on April 13, the Viola players lost hope: they would have had to score three goals in 30 minutes.
Florence honored Borgonovo
On April 1, before the Italian Cup match, former Viola striker Stefano Borgnovo, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2008, was honored with the fiorino d’oro medal by Mayor Renzi. The Curva Fiesole sang Sei uno di noi! (‘You’re one of us!’).Afterwards, he was taken to the Curva Fiesole where he was able to watch the game from a special platform built just for him. The day’s sales of the Fiorentina’s CD with the song, Amici di pallone raised 20,000 euro to help find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Unsuccessful in Bergamo
In just one week, the Fiorentina played three matches, starting off strong and ending very weakly. During their match on April 18 in Bergamo against Atalanta, their tiredness was noticeable. Atalanta scored its first goal just six minutes into the game and its second one midway through the second half. Viola midfielder Riccardo Montolivo scored a goal fifteen mintues before the end of the match to end the game 2-1.
Mutu suspended for nine months
For the last couple of weeks, Mutu’s fate has been unsure while waiting for CONI’s decision related to his doping case. According to the ruling on April 19, the Romanian striker was disqualified for nine months, and he will not be able to play until October 28. Over the last four years that he has been playing with the Fiorentina, he has scored a total of 50 goals. The Fiorentina has still not said what Mutu’s future will be, and if he will be allowed to finish his contract, which ends in 2011, with the club. In Mutu’s first official statement, he asked forgiveness not only to the Fiorentina and his teammates, but also to fans.
Happy birthday to Zanetti and Donadel!
Cristiano Zanetti celebrated his 33rd birthday on April 19. Originally from Carrara, he started his career as a midfielder with the Fiorentina in 1993. Since then he has played for six other Italian teams, returning to the Fiorentina last year. Viola midfielder Marco Donadel, from Conegliano, a province of Treviso, turned 27 on April 21. He has been playing professionally since 2001 and has been with the Fiorentina for the last five years.
