President Oreste Vigorito insists Benevento will stay in Serie A as “now the witches are smiling on us”.
The city of Benevento has been associated with the occult since ancient times, and the patron famously declared that the club’s run of defeats was due to the malign influence of witches.
However, after goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli secured a last-gasp point against Milan, the President believes their luck has turned.
President Oreste Vigorito insists Benevento will stay in Serie A as “now the witches are smiling on us”.
The city of Benevento has been associated with the occult since ancient times, and the patron famously declared that the club’s run of defeats was due to the malign influence of witches.
However, after goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli secured a last-gasp point against Milan, the President believes their luck has turned.
“I didn’t kick out Coach [Marco] Baroni, I helped him to rediscover himself,” Vigorito told the Corriere della Sera.
“I love him, we adore him, but he couldn’t be our Coach anymore. I believe very much in [Roberto] De Zerbi, he’s the right man to stay up.
“You watch, we’ll save ourselves. Write it too. Now the witches are smiling on us.
“When I bought Benevento I said I’d take them to Serie A and people took me for a madman. Now we’ve started and we want another record: to stay up after losing 14 games. As [actor Massimo] Troisi said, ‘Sorry for the delay’.
“Something happened, the spell has broken, when we scored in Naples it was snowing. The wind has changed. And I can say we have wind power on the pitch…”
The team won’t be getting a special bonus for their first point though…
“Their greatest reward will be the smiles and love of the people. I don’ think we should give prizes to people who do their duty. That’s their job, that’s what I try to teach the lads who come here.
“I’ve never been tight in the case of special wins, but there’s nothing set out in their contracts. There’s a fundamental difference there.
“Not even Brignoli? He’s a very good lad, simple, clean living. He’s experienced a fairy tale and that’s the greatest satisfaction for him.
“He deserved it, he’s had to lower his head several times this season.”
Vigorito also offered a warning about the future of Italian football.
“Football should ask where it has come from and where it’s going, but it doesn’t.
“You think that the problem is Benevento because they’re last, but the problem is that half of the teams are at zero, because there being nine points between us and this or that doesn’t change anything.
“There’s a chasm between rich and poor which will engulf everyone sooner or later. It’s an unfair league.”