Germani Brescia: Insults Follow the Sporting Tragedy
There couldn’t have been a worse outcome for the fans of Pallacanestro Brescia. The sale of the team’s sports rights to California-based entrepreneur Paul Matiasic and the team’s relocation to Rome have, as was to be expected, infuriated fans of the Lombardy-based team, who, to vent their frustration, have flooded all social media accounts associated with the club. Some of the comments are unprintable, but Germani’s social media managers are in for a lot of work unless they want to leave things as they are.
The definitive confirmation came even before the extraordinary Federal Council meeting held on Friday afternoon: the ECA has in fact published the list of teams registered for the upcoming EuroCup, which includes Paul Matiasic’s Maxima Roma, admitted via a wild card after FIBA had denied them access to the Champions League. This official announcement has dispelled any remaining doubts about the fate of the “Leonessa,” bringing a definitive end to seventeen years of basketball history in Brescia.
Matiasic’s new Rome-based team will be competing in the same city as the Roma Basketball Club SPQR, backed by the Nelson-Doncic consortium, which was officially unveiled at the Campidoglio in the presence of Luka Doncic, the NBA star of the Los Angeles Lakers. The rival project has already taken its first concrete steps in the transfer market, announcing the signing of Nico Mannion, a point guard born in 2001 who is coming off two seasons with Olimpia Milano, where he won the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia, and the Italian Super Cup.
On the coaching front for Maxima Roma, Ettore Messina’s name had been gaining traction in recent weeks as the ideal leader for the project. The former Olimpia Milano coach announced his departure from the Milan-based club after seven years, leaving a team with which he had won ten trophies, including four league titles and, last season, the “Triplete” consisting of the Super Cup, the Italian Cup, and the league championship. A highly prestigious figure is now available on the market just as Matiasic is seeking an authoritative name to lend credibility to his new Roman venture.
For Brescia, meanwhile, all is not lost when it comes to the city’s basketball scene: according to reports that have surfaced in recent hours, efforts are already underway to save basketball in the Lombard city through a new organization that would start over in the lower leagues. This rebuilding process seems inevitable after ten consecutive seasons in the top division, one Coppa Italia title, and one Scudetto final appearance—the sporting legacy of a club that, until just a few months ago, seemed rock-solid.
