Basketball, Antonini: “Lost trust in sports justice, ordinary route remains”

Trapani, Jan 12 (LaPresse) – “Today for us only the ordinary justice route remains. We have completely lost trust in it after witnessing incredible proceedings at the Basketball Federal Court. We have just published a statement prepared by our lawyers where we reconstruct the abuses regarding the point penalties and the blatant federal overreaches in the last two sanctions, with a series of violations of rules and procedural steps that are shocking, with full evidence”. Thus the president of Trapani Shark, Valerio Antonini, guest on Radio Anch’io Sport on Rai Radio 1, on the situation related to his basketball team, after the farcical game against Trento. Today, in the extraordinary meeting between FIP and the League, the Sicilian club risks being expelled from the championship. “If I had not fielded the team for two consecutive games, I would have in fact automatically authorized the expulsion of my club due to my responsibilities. In this way, however, it will be the Federation today that will have to expel the club – he added – This will increase the damages in court that we will claim from the Federation for what has been done. I believe people will only realize after the rulings of the Council of State, the TAR, and the Tax Commission that glaring errors were made that led to the current situation”. If he could go back, Antonini declared that “I would certainly not enter sports. I am an entrepreneur who has invested 20 million euros in a territory as particular as Trapani. What I advise any entrepreneur is not to enter sports – he concluded – Will I leave both Trapani football and Trapani basketball? Absolutely not. We will carry on this judicial battle which for me has become a battle of dignity, linked to my name and my family. We will fight to reconstruct the truth of the facts”.