Lecce Wears Special All-White Kit in Tribute to Late Therapist Graziano Fiorita
- Special Kit Tribute: Lecce wore special all-white kits without logos, colors, or sponsors to honor their late physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita.
- Symbolic Protest: The all-white kits were a protest against Serie A's decision to proceed with the match shortly after Fiorita's death.
- Team-wide Respect: The tribute included a mourning ribbon, a powerful message on the shirt, and participation from the opposing team, Atalanta, and the stadium.
In an emotional and powerful gesture, U.S. Lecce wore completely white kits in their Serie A match against Atalanta to honor the memory of their long-time physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita, who passed away last week.
Fiorita, who had worked with Lecce for over 25 years, suffered a sudden heart attack while with the team in Bergamo. Despite Lecce’s appeals to delay the match out of respect, Serie A insisted the fixture be played as scheduled on Sunday night, only a few days after his passing.
Lecce Wears Special All-White Kit
In protest, Lecce players took the field wearing special all-white kits stripped of any club logos, colors, or sponsors. The shirt featured only a black mourning ribbon and the powerful words: "Nessun Valore, Nessun Colore" ("No Values, No Colors").
The club officially explained their choice in a strong statement, criticizing Serie A's decision and highlighting that Fiorita’s death deserved more respect. They emphasized that the team would only return to wearing their official colors once Graziano Fiorita’s body had returned home to be honored properly.
"The memory of Graziano is not honored by refusing to play or fielding the youth team. We will play the match of 'trampled values', wearing an anonymous white shirt that does not represent us, without colors, crests, and logos."
Atalanta also participated in the tribute, with captain Marten de Roon presenting flowers at Lecce’s bench and Fiorita’s name appearing on a large banner in a section of the stands, initially intended for Pope Francis but expanded to include Fiorita’s memory.
The touching scenes before kick-off underlined the deep impact Fiorita had on Lecce, both as a club and a family. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
