Venezia coach Paolo Zanetti does not understand why the Salernitana chaos was allowed to reach the stage where they could be thrown out of Serie A mid-season. ‘It wasn’t exactly unpredictable.’
Salernitana earned promotion by finishing second in Serie B last term, so as the club is owned by Lazio President Claudio Lotito, it was evident he’d have to sell.
The rules forbid one person from owning two clubs in the same division.
Lotito put Salernitana up for sale in May, when there was no progress, he had to put the club in a ‘blind trust’ and the December 31 deadline is fast approaching with no sign of a genuine buyer.
“I don’t want to pass judgment here, but what I can say is that it wasn’t exactly unpredictable,” Venezia coach Zanetti said in a press conference.
“Salernitana were registered for the Serie A season against the rules, because there are rules and they ought to be respected. Salernitana should not have been allowed to register for the season in these circumstances.
“Now the authorities are trying to save face, the fairness of the tournament and everything else. It is certainly a very Italian way of doing things, so I don’t know why we are acting surprised now. It should all have been taken into account when the season began.
“I have great respect for the Salernitana fans, their coach and squad, so I hope they can continue to have a future on the main stage, but we shouldn’t have reached this stage.”