Fiorentina CEO Joe Barone is in serious but stable condition at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. The official was rushed to the clinic directly from the club’s retreat in Cavenago di Brianza before the match with Atalanta on Sunday. The Viola asked and obtained for the game to be postponed, Corriere della Sera reported.
The Gigliati never made it to the stadium. The exec was alone in his room when he asked for help. The news quickly spread to the players. Fellow director Daniele Pradé was in the ambulance with him. Coach Vincenzo Italiano and a few footballers, for instance, Cristiano Biraghi, Nikola Milenkovic, and Andrea Belotti, visited him at the hospital later on. His wife Camilla arrived in the evening, while his four kids flew in from the United States on Monday.
Barone underwent heart surgery and is recovering in the intensive care unit. The 58-year-old was born in Pozzallo in Sicily but grew up in the United States. He started working in football with the New York Cosmos, establishing a relationship with Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso.
The 58-year-old handles every aspect of the club: the transfer market, the choices about the coach, the logistics, the stadium, and the recently inaugurated Viola Park. It’s uncertain when the match will occur since the two teams have busy schedules since they both advanced in the cups. In the meantime, Fiorentina and Atalanta will square off in the two-legged Coppa Italia semifinals in April.
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