Hellas Verona are mourning the death of Vice-President Giovanni Martinelli after a long illness.
The 62-year-old had been fighting an incurable illness for some time and died this morning.
Hellas Verona are mourning the death of Vice-President Giovanni Martinelli after a long illness.
The 62-year-old had been fighting an incurable illness for some time and died this morning.
Martinelli was President of Verona from 2009 to 2011, taking the club to promotion from Lega Pro to Serie B and then going very close to the step up into Serie A.
He stepped down as President when Maurizio Setti bought into the club in 2011, but remained on the board as Vice-President.
“He left us today, in his home at Castelnuovo, due to an illness he had fought for many years, an illness he grew accustomed to living with,” read a statement.
“Blessed with incredible willpower, he was a generous and humble man with an immense heart. The man who oversaw the renaissance of the Gialloblu, the President who gave back hope to so many fans, has left us.
“We feel an absurd hole in our lives and a blow to the heart for his Hellas Verona family. He taught us to fight, day after day, and won so many battles with life thanks to his incredible inner strength.
“Giovanni Martinelli, our President, has left us, but you will always be our soul.”