Spal, it will be a two-horse race for the bench

Follow the money: it was easily the "golden rule" that guided Alan Fabbri and his committee's decision to entrust the newly acquired Ars et Labor club to Argentine hands. It's understandable that a new and unknown ownership is currently causing more perplexity than enthusiasm in the city: Tacopina 's wounds are severe and will take years to heal, with Ars et Labor forced by Joe's collapse to the lowest level in the club's history. Previous "forest" managements, from Butelli to Pagliuso, have also left behind less rubble. Until yesterday, nothing was known about Molinari , and it's inevitable that more "romantic" local options, targeting those already known, would be more popular with many. As an administrator, however, Fabbri got straight to the point, immediately looking at capital. To recover, first and foremost, money is needed.

Of course, competence (in the first two years, Tacopina had money but showed complete footballing incompetence), dedication, and so on, count for a lot. It may not be popular, but without money, you can't get very far, especially if you have to start from scratch. Now it's up to Juan Molinari to break down initial resistance, fueled by the presence of James Elwen , a former member of the board of directors of Tacopina's SPAL during the first part of his Ferrara tenure, in representative roles at some of his clubs. Elwen now also takes over the 10% stake in Perugia sold by Molinari, and is a partner of Pier Paolo Triulzi , who was the operational mediator in the Ars et Labor deal. Fans fear that Tacopina is still behind it. Considering the timing of his arrival and resignation at SPAL, Elwen should actually be considered Alessandro Bazzoni 's man rather than Joe's. Bazzoni had been Tacopina's first investor: sensing the wind, in January 2024, with Spal in the last positions of Serie C, Bazzoni left, withdrawing the two directors who represented him at Spal, namely his brother Lorenzo and Elwen.

Marcello Follano and his sister Gabriela took their place. This suggests the course of events. Molinari will then have a chance to answer this question, as he's expected in Ferrara early this week (some say as early as today) to begin unveiling his plans for Ars et Labor. There's so much to do, practically everything. Mirco Antenucci is currently the only known "holdout" for the technical and sporting direction. Sandro Federico, who should be his assistant, remains to be seen: from May until just three days ago, he presented transfers for Caldiero, which was relegated to Serie D. Will he be freed? A first-team coach must be chosen, more than twenty players must be signed, and the youth academy must be rebuilt. For the position, there's a two-horse race between Davide Marchini and an Argentine coach trusted by Triulzi and Molinari. Marchini has extensive experience in the Eccellenza and Serie D leagues, having managed Argentana, Progresso, and Granamica for seven years, and has already won a championship. Ars et Labor's current professional history does not include any other players with solid experience in the division, which could play into Marchini's hands. Eros Schiavon is a strong candidate for the youth sector, where several former Spal youth players will remain at the management level, starting with Marco Aventi . The first step will be to sign up former players who haven't found a job elsewhere. The choice of manager and players will be crucial. Since the best Eccellenza players living in the area have already settled in, a squad will be built with several players from Serie D and Serie C, including some Argentinians. Molina 's confirmation at number 9 would be a nice bonus, assuming the man who, unfortunately, saved him from relegation, agrees to drop two divisions. If Mirco still wanted to…Come on, twenty goals would be within his reach in the Eccellenza league.

Mauro Malaguti