Olimpia suffers another loss; exasperated fans point fingers, and some are missing Messina

Olimpia Milano’s latest EuroLeague loss has sparked an avalanche of protests on social media. The 73-84 home loss to Valencia has left the Red-and-Whites with a disastrous 1-9 record, last place in the standings, and an increasingly furious Forum crowd. Former player Armoni Brooks (16 points) helped seal the deal in the closing minutes, while Coach Peppe Poeta’s team collapsed in the fourth quarter.

Fans’ comments on Facebook are a mix of anger, resignation, and regret. Many are nostalgic for Armoni Brooks and Ettore Messina himself.

Igli Cani gets straight to the point: “It makes no logical sense for Milan to continue playing in the EuroLeague. It’s embarrassing with every passing year. Give a chance to Italian teams that deserve it, like Naples, Venice, and Treviso itself, which has a great history.” Massimiliano Morucci reiterates: “They no longer deserve to play in this tournament.” Francesco Pannuzzo is even harsher: “Do you ever win even one game by accident???? You act like lions against the small-time A1 teams… and then get bullied in the EuroLeague!!! Embarrassing!!!”

There were plenty of opinions on individual players. Gaetano Fabio Riboldi: “We’re really terrible… Thompson isn’t worth a Flaccadori… The only exception is Bolmaro, but he can’t do everything… Anyway, why didn’t he play in the final stretch?” Stefano D’incà analyzes: “I think the roster just isn’t up to par for European competition; aside from Hall, Bolmaro, and Ricci, the others offer neither consistency nor the necessary defensive and offensive fundamentals. Cole is likable… but he prefers sandwiches… kind of like Poldo.”

The strongest regret concerns Armoni Brooks. Ruggero Martinelli: “Okay… whatever you want… but someone from the front office needs to explain why Armoni Brooks wasn’t kept. Then the rest.” Maurizio Paolino sums it up: “Brooks, 16 points. That says it all.” Alex Milani: “How on earth do you let someone like Brooks go? Incompetent management.”

There’s plenty of criticism directed at Poeta, and controversy is erupting over Messina: “Non-existent play, made worse by the fact that Poeta never understands a thing in the final minutes. Enough already!” Andy Viri laments the former coach: “Where have all the basketball ‘experts’ who criticized Coach Messina gone? Take a lesson in humility before criticizing a great coach!!!”

Immediate and scathing responses: Roberto Dotto (“You’re driving me crazy with this Messina nonsense”), Fabio Antonio Fieni (“If we’ve ended up like this, it’s also (largely) Messina’s fault and that of his management over the years”), Stefano Ferrari (“Do you really think he’d win with these losers?”). Costanzo Palmas, on the other hand, agrees with him: “He wasn’t the one to blame—it was the front office that failed to put together a competitive team, and this year is even worse than last year.”