Parma's Tommaso Ghiradi has asked for more attention to go into planning the Serie A calendar, so as to best avoid games being hit by adverse weather.
Parma's Tommaso Ghiradi has asked for more attention to go into planning the Serie A calendar, so as to best avoid games being hit by adverse weather.
The Ducali’s game against Juventus was called off with just an hour to go before kick-off on Tuesday night due to heavy snow, which was ruled as making the stadium unsafe to host the match. Juve’s fans had already started to enter the ground before the decision was made official.
Beppe Marotta commented that such a situation demonstrates the need for new stadiums in the country, whilst Antonio Conte lamented the fact that the Week 21 fixture could have been played earlier in the day, given that the weather was expected.
Ghiradi continued in a similar way, suggesting that more attention and common sense needs to go into managing the fixture list.
“The rules are clear that the area around the stadium should allow for it to be used and the referee must then verify this – clubs do not really count for anything.
“It is necessary to analyse the calendar more precisely, times need to be reviewed and when we have these [weather] predictions, the game can be moved well in advance. I spent an hour and a half on the highway to get to the stadium.”
The club President then referred back to the early-December clash between the Gialloblu and Palermo as another example of where the problem lies. That game was played at the Ennio Tardini in a thick blanket of fog.
“We have played at 8.45pm on a weekend when Catania played at 3pm – here it does not take long to realise that in December, the fog may reach Parma sooner than it does Catania.
“We must draw up the calendar with greater attention. Then, we also have to renovate stadiums.
“Ours is one of the best, if not modern, but the comparison does not hold with Juventus’ new ground.”
Ghiradi also passed brief comment on Sebastian Giovinco’s future. The playmaker is co-owned by Parma and Juventus, with a decision on his future due in the summer.
“There are still three to four months, it is cold, there is the snow, we will have time to think about it. What will be decisive in negotiations with Juventus will be the will of the player.”