WHAT HAPPENED? After leaving the UK, Storm Ciaran made its way across Europe and struck Italy, especially the Tuscany area, where six confirmed deaths have already occurred. Fans of Fiorentina have requested that the match against Juventus, originally planned for Sunday at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, be postponed because the city of Florence has also been severely affected. The mayor of Florence announced earlier today that the game will go ahead as scheduled and Serie A also agreed and decided to hold a minute of silence for the deaths.
WHAT THEY SAID: The Fiorentina ultras, the Curva Fiesole, put out a statement reading: “Part of our city is completely on its knees, houses are destroyed, lives in tatters and while it continues to rain people think of playing the game on Sunday as if nothing had happened.
“In a clear, decisive and categorical fashion, the Curva Fiesole ask that the match be postponed, so that the energy and resources are dedicated exclusively to our people who are struggling and not to put on a sporting event.
“We demand respect or the victims, their families, for those who have lost everything in just a few hours and now feel abandoned, without light or electricity, surrounded by water.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: In addition to making a message, the Fiorentina ultras have taken actionable measures to assist individuals affected by the terrible floods. They have organised a number of locations to serve as centres for gathering supplies, which will then be distributed to people living in the inundated regions. Additionally, they are assembling gloves, spades, buckets, and other supplies so that, when the police give their all-clear, they may assist with the cleanup efforts physically.
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WHAT NEXT? With the match scheduled for less than 48 hours later, the decisions will have to be made soon by the authorities, whether or not to let the game go ahead.