EMANUELE PESOLI CERTAINLY knows how to make a point.
Pesoli, who plays in Serie B with Verona, chained himself to a gate outside of the Italian Soccer Federation headquarters (FIGC) in Rome in protest to a match-fixing verdict against him.
Shaded from the sun by an umbrella and sitting in a chair, Pesoli began his protest, including a hunger strike, on Saturday afternoon.
FIGC’s disciplinary department announced verdicts on Friday, including suspensions for some 26 players or officials, including Juventus coach Antonio Conte, who received a 10-month suspension.
The defender received a three-year ban for his alleged part of match-fixing in a 5-0 defeat when he was playing for Siena in 2011.
Pesoli has denied wrongdoing and told reporters his aim is to meet with his accusers face-to-face.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport, “It is a strong protest but they are ruining my life for something I have not done. I will stay here until I can’t do it anymore.”
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President of the Italian Footballers’ Association, Damiano Tommasi said, “We wish to express our support for (Emanuele) from a human point of view, while remaining convinced that the different levels of sentencing can give further recourse to those who believe they were unjustly sanctioned.
“I hope that Emanuele manages to put his instinctive reaction aside and will be able to face this new challenge with greater serenity.”
