Gigi Riva is back. But this time he has to raise a question dear to him and to all sportsmen. While aware of the social and economic emergencies of the island, as patriarch of Sardinian sport he launches an appeal: «It is time for Cagliari and Sardinia to return to having a sports facility capable of hosting major events. Starting with the Cagliari matches, continuing with those of the national football team and other sports, up to the concerts». Because even the stadium, if the goal is to get people talking about Sardinia in the future as well, is an indispensable necessity.
The appeal
Gigi Riva comes out into the open, but does not argue. As honorary president of Cagliari, he feels the need to appeal to the Sardinian political class "so that the financing of the intervention can be released as soon as possible".
The mayor of Cagliari Paolo Truzzu, in recent days, has invited the executive of the governor Christian Solinas and the regional council to put the necessary fifty million in the budget. Who knows if the mayor's sortie will be heard.
Certainly, the request for the rossoblù number 11 forever, who is also the national team's king of strikers, will not go unnoticed. Riva's speech starts from an assumption: "The very image of the city is at stake", he argues. "The Sant'Elia, as it is, is a ruin: the only thing to do is to demolish it and rebuild it there, in what is now considered the sports area of the city". He states it almost with emotion: years ago, when the stadium question was in its infancy but was already fueling controversy, he fought so that "his" Sant'Elia, where he played in the Champions Cup and where he was acclaimed by an audience that only metropolitan teams could boast, it was put back on track and its collapse was avoided: "That is the stadium of our generation", repeated Gigi Riva, at a time when he was also trying to rebuild the Federcalcio, alongside Luca Pancalli in the commissioner management.
The future
Almost eighteen years have passed since then. As honorary president of Cagliari, he closes the drawer of memories and projects his reflection towards the future: "I'm not going into the political dynamics that underlie an intervention of this magnitude", he continues. «But the growth of the Cagliari team – which has given so much prestige to Sardinia over the decades, allowing it to fully enter an Italy that before our successes was completely unaware of even its geographical location – cannot fail to pass through the creation of a new plant. Football has changed and will change again: to keep up with the times, the stadium is an essential infrastructure. Also because I suppose that the money used for its construction will have significant repercussions on several fronts, not least that of work: who knows how many workers and technicians will work on the construction sites when they are launched. In short, I believe that we can no longer wait any longer » .
Ball in the center
In short, Gigi Riva passes the ball to the Region. With the hope that the assist will materialize in a decisive goal: «I hope that Sardinian politics accept my invitation», concludes the honorary president of Cagliari. «The hope is that he will do his bit for Cagliari and Sardinia». Will it be heard?
