Italian Trials: The Diary of Lorenzo Lauria

On the 6th of September the competition’s programme read: “Four teams will take power in the open trials; Burgay, De Michelis, Vinci, Zaleski. The match will take place from 16 to 19 September and the first two matches will be Vinci vs Burgay, and Zaleski vs De Michelis”.

In the evening of 15th September, a few hours before the match, the FIGB (Italian Federation) announced a change. Bortoletti’s team was included in the competition, following the tribunal’s order. The new programme indicated that the new draw would take place on the 16th at 2pm.

So, during the evening of the 15th the FIGB President changed the programme previously published on the 6th of September: The competition format was changed to accommodate a fifth team (Bortoletti, Burgay, De Michelis, Vinci, Zaleski) and the event consists of two phases.

This sudden change upset the participants who were expecting to play semifinals and finals in a single session.

The matches were due to start at 2.30.

An hour before the start, Agusti Madala meet with the FIGB Secretary Mr Frola, asking to postpone the event, but this request was denied.

At 2pm we are due to meet with all captains, as is customary. Saverio Vinci cannot take part due to work commitments so I, Lorenzo Lauria, am representing the team.

All players gather in the hall to discuss the programme change.

De Michelis writes a letter to the Federation, asking to postpone the competition. Vinci, Bortoletti and Burgay also sign the letter.

Mr Zaleski tells Mr Frola (the only representative from the Italian Federation on site) that he would play his semifinal against De Michelis, as per the original programme and would not follow the revised programme published the night before.

Zaleski’s team is considered withdrawn and four teams remain: Bortoletti, Burgay, De Michelis, Vinci.

Since the first phase of the programme winged to reduce the teams from five to four, we thought this would work. We expected the four remaining teams to play the final in October.

Mr Frola acknowledged Zaleski’s withdrawal and asked me whether we wanted to play or withdraw.

I told him we were waiting from an answer from the Italian Federation

The conversation is tense. I keep telling him that the four captains wrote a letter to the Federation and we wanted an answer.

The atmosphere is increasingly payable and Didi Cedolin (a player in De Michelis’ team) encourages Mr Frola to take into account Vinci’s request. But Mr Frola now deems that Vinci has withdrawn too.

Now, as after Zaleski’s withdrawal there were only four teams left, it is not clear why we couldn’t just play the finals in October as originally planned. The Federation did not accept what the four captains asked for in their letter, but then it allowed the teams who wanted to play (Bortoletti, Burgay, De Michelis) to compete in October.

Basically the first phase of the competition was over when Zaleski withdrew. So there was a contradiction between trying to get the teams to play immediately and then allow them to play in October as per the original programme. They said no to what the four captains requested in their letter and then changed their minds five minutes later for the three teams who wanted to play.

I hope that the Federation will consider the facts and re-admit Vinci’s team, who is still waiting for the final judgment from the FederalTtribunal about Bortoletti’s team.

Rome, September 18 2021

Lorenzo Lauria

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English Edition by Neapolitan Club

Original Italian Text »

 

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