Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli says the club’s players did not play for money on Sunday, but rather to try to protect staff.
The Ducali had failed to play their two previous games before drawing 0-0 with Atalanta yesterday, having been given a financial lifeline by the Lega Serie A.
“If you think Parma played because we accepted the Lega’s aims, you’re 100 per cent wrong,” Lucarelli told Parma Channel in the wake of the match.
Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli says the club’s players did not play for money on Sunday, but rather to try to protect staff.
The Ducali had failed to play their two previous games before drawing 0-0 with Atalanta yesterday, having been given a financial lifeline by the Lega Serie A.
“If you think Parma played because we accepted the Lega’s aims, you’re 100 per cent wrong,” Lucarelli told Parma Channel in the wake of the match.
“We made the responsible choice for all concerned. Firstly, we finally managed to make ourselves heard by the Federation [the FIGC].
“Then we had to consider the 200 people employed by the club who maybe now will be able to pay the bills. With the €5m comes guarantees for employees, we’ve thought of that.
“We haven’t had any money for seven months, we’re not going to sell-out for two salaries in April and May. I hope everything is clear now.
“I read the papers, they say it’s just about money, but if we only thought about money we wouldn’t have started the season, because we haven’t had a Euro.
“Among other things, with this handout to ‘save the season’ not ‘save Parma’, there’s the possibility of saving Parma from bankruptcy.
“It seems to be there’s a desire to force Parma into bankruptcy. If Parma fail, 300-400 families will lose their job, so as long as I’m here, if there’s a chance to save the club I’ll play until the end.
“Just think for a moment. For a Serie D club, you only need two employees, not 30-40 like now. All these people would lose their job. We’re thinking about the good of everyone, not just ourselves.”
The Ducali captain also revealed FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio had offered guarantees to get the players to take the field yesterday.
“Tavecchio gave a guarantee regarding a possible rescue of Parma after bankruptcy, allowing us to come back in Serie B.
“They came here, they gave us guarantees and they gave us the money which, I repeat, the players could have done without, but its important for everyone working for Parma.
“At the same time, we said ‘ok, words are fine, but we want to see guarantees’. If these words don’t have a result, we’ll stop in 15-20 days. Fortunately, we have another 14 games.
“Before the end of the season there could be two auctions, let’s see if there are people interested in Parma like Tavecchio said.
“He said he’ll find a sponsor to offer solutions before the company goes under.”
Finally, Lucarelli had some harsh words for incumbent President Giampietro Manenti, who – despite assurances – has failed to come up with any money.
“He has four days to prove what he says is true,” the defender said.
“He doesn’t have any more time. He’ll either do what he says, or will confirm what we all think now, putting him in the same bracket as his predecessors.”