Table Football Italian Cup 2024: triumph of Napoli Fighters and Marco Brunelli (Virtus Rieti)
Great show at the 34th edition of the Italian Table Football Cup
Over 160 athletes and as many as 44 teams (a total of more than 200 people including players, managers and accompanying persons) from all over Italy reached Colleferro, on the outskirts of Rome, to contest the 34th edition of the Italian Table Football Cup, organized at the Palazzetto dello Sport “Alfredo Romboli” by the Italian Federation of Sports Table Football (FISCT)in collaboration with the National Subbuteo Sector of the’Organization for Sports Education (OPES, a sports promotion body recognized by CONI).
Marco Brunelli wins the Individual Master tournament
On Saturday February 17, 2024 the individual competitions were held, at the end of which the Roman athlete Marco Brunelli (Virtus Rieti) won the Master title, beating Luca Zambello (F.lli Bari Reggio Emilia) in the final, 3 to 2. Also on the podium are the winner of the last edition, Matteo Ciccarelli (Napoli Fighters) and the current world champion and reigning Italian champion, Luca Colangelo (Fiamme Azzurre Roma), both eliminated in the semifinals. With this success, Brunelli qualifies by right for the individual Open competition of the FISTF World Cup 2024, which will be held in England, specifically in Tunbridge Wells, from September 20 to 22, 2024, representing the blue colors of the Italian National Table Football Team.
Same destiny, but in the Veteran category, also for Cesare Santanicchia (F.lli Bari Reggio Emilia), who won the Over50s tournament by narrowly beating Emanuele Lo Cascio (SPQR MMIX Rome) in the final. Placings of honor, in this case, for the defending champion, Patrizio Lazzaretti (S.S. Lazio TFC) and for Stefano Flamini (SC Ascoli), who stop their race only in the semifinals.
Also noteworthy was the success of Eleonora Buttitta (SC Bagheria), reigning world champion in the Ladis category, who in the women’s final overcame Julia Filippella Nasti 4 to 0, and Daniele Bertelli (Virtus Rieti) in the Open category, who won against Fabrizio Fedele (Bologna Tigers) 2 to 1. Also on the podium here were Nico Lucchesi (SC Sombrero) and Antonio Fucci (Eagles Napoli).
Finally, as far as the youth tournaments are concerned, here are the victories of Francesco Manfredelli (Eagles Napoli), in the Under20, who beat Mattia Ferrante 4 to 3 in the final, of Nicolò Colossi (SC Bari), in the Under16, who got the better of Lorenzo Sani (SC Sombrero) 4 to 1, and Alberto Capoferri (Rebels Genova), in the Under12, who won 2 to 1 against Davide Salatino (SC Bari). Placings of honor also for Riccardo Natoli (Messina) and Davide De Giosa (SC Bari) in the Under20, for Marco Ferrucci (Napoli Fighters) and Marco Mastrobuono (SC Pavia), in the Under16, and for Alberto Barattucci (SC Abruzzo Ves Gentes) and Antonio Martinelli (SC Bari) in the Under12.
Double success for the Napoli Fighters in the team competition
On Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024,the team competitions were held, at the end of which the Napoli Fighters raised to the sky the prestigious Italian Cup 2024 Table Football. The Neapolitan lineup, composed of Matteo Ciccarelli, Luca Battista, Massimo Cremona, Andrea Ciccarelli and Antonio Peluso, beat the Sicilian team of Barcelona Table Football, finalists of, among others, the last edition of the Champions League, 2-0 in the final. Also on the podium were the teams from F.lli Bari Reggio Emilia (holders of the Table Football Champions League) and Subbuteo Club Sombrero (a formation from San Miniato, in the province of Pisa), both eliminated in the semifinals.
But for the Neapolitan team, the joys certainly did not end there, as its own branch, named Napoli Pirates and composed of Matteo Esposito, Michele Ferrucci, Alberto Recano and Roberto Sirica, also won the trophy in the Cadetti category,after a final, with an all-Napolitan flavor, won against Eagles II Napoli with a result of 3 to 1. Black Rose Roma and Virtus Viper Rieti also made the podium in this bracket.
Space, finally, for the Primavera competition, dedicated to the teams formed by Under16 and Under12 boys, which recorded the Subbuteo Club Abruzzo Ves Gentes affirmation, composed of Alberto Barattucci, Jacopo Giampaola, Damiano Giampaola and Stefano Raponi, who in the final beat SC Bari with the result of 2 to 1.
Social live: numerous interactions on this occasion as well
The entire competition è was broadcast, live, via social, through the official FISCT accounts on the Facebook and TitTok platforms. And it is precisely on the latter social that the numbers, regarding interactions, are confirmed to be very high, with the live broadcasts being viewed by a total of 206,856 users, with an average of 14,775 views in each individual match. The live broadcast that recorded the most views è was the one during the Blue Flames vs. Grifo Sombrero match (qualifying round) with over 32,000 people connected.
