Emotional scenes as Lecce mourn physio Fiorita in Bergamo | OneFootball

There were emotional scenes before kick-off against Atalanta when Lecce paid tribute to physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita, but also made an angry protest against the Lega Serie A.

The game had originally been scheduled for Friday evening, but was called off when Fiorita died in the team hotel in Bergamo on Thursday.

An autopsy reportedly showed that the 48-year-old had a sudden and devastating heart attack.

His club had appealed to be given more time to process the tragedy, as he had worked with them for over 25 years, but they were ordered to play on Sunday night.

BERGAMO, ITALY – APRIL 27: US Lecce players wear a special shirt in memory of US Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Lecce at Gewiss Stadium on April 27, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

In protest, the squad wore all white kits with no logos, club badges or the Lecce colours, but it was not completely blank.

It had a black mourning ribbon and the phrase: ‘No values, no colours.’

This was in partnership with the statement released by the club calling this “the match of trampled values.”

Atalanta join Lecce in mourning Fiorita

BERGAMO, ITALY – APRIL 27: US Lecce fans display a banner in memory of US Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Lecce at Gewiss Stadium on April 27, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Atalanta joined in the gestures of mourning, as captain Marten de Roon placed flowers in front of the away bench where Fiorita would’ve sat.

The players and staff gathered around the spot and a jersey with ‘Graziano’ on the back.

During the minute’s silence before kick-off, which was meant to be for Pope Francis, Atalanta also made sure Fiorita’s image was on the big screens at the Gewiss Stadium.

The Atalanta fans had banners showing solidarity for Fiorita’s family and for the club.

While teams tend to gather around the centre circle during a minute’s silence, the visiting players huddled in their own private circle for this moment of mourning.