A life dedicated to football , pursuing his passion, from the Cosmos to Fiorentina: Joe Barone died today in Milan following the serious illness that struck him on Sunday on the eve of the match between Atalanta and Fiorentina, which was then postponed.

The Fiorentina general manager, who would have turned 58 tomorrow, had been hospitalized in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit of the San Raffaele hospital in Milan but his condition immediately appeared very serious . Today, the announcement of his death came from the Viola Club in a terse note. «With deep pain and immense sadness, Fiorentina today loses one of its points of reference, a figure who has marked the recent history of the Club and who will never be forgotten», we read between the lines, in which the «terrible loss of a man who offered his great professionalism, his heart and his passion for these colours", and again "a friend available and always close in all moments, both the happiest ones and, above all, the most difficult ones" .

Barone was Rocco Commisso's right-hand man in Florence practically immediately. But the relationship between the two had begun much earlier. «In recent years he has given me a big hand and it is right to give him some well-deserved recognition, so from today he will be the new general manager of Fiorentina and will join the board of directors ». Thus, a few months after purchasing the club from Della Valle, Commisso announced his appointment as his right-hand man in the Viola club, strengthening a bond and collaboration that had taken off a few years earlier .

Born in Pozzallo, Sicily, on March 20, 1966, Barone moved with his family to the United States, to Brooklyn, at the age of eight . After completing his studies he began a career in the banking-financial sector which was interrupted after meeting the Italian-American tycoon of Calabrian origin who placed him in his telecommunications company Mediacom and was subsequently appointed vice-president of the New York Cosmos in 2017, immediately after acquiring its ownership. majority share saving them from bankruptcy.

The Sicilian manager, married to Mrs. Camilla, four children (Pietro who made him a grandfather a year ago, Salvatore, Giuseppe, former footballer from Ascoli, Perugia and Salernitana, and Gabriella) was Commisso's man in all respects in world of football .

The entrepreneur, after having sent him to Florence in his stead while waiting to close the negotiation with the Della Valle, had then entrusted him with the management and management of Fiorentina from the very beginning , demonstrating complete trust and esteem. It was Barone who represented the Viola club in the Lega councils, he was always the one who dealt personally with the transfer market but also with the Viola Park projects and the stadium affair.

In some cases his decisions and statements had sparked criticism and controversy but Commisso has always taken his side: «The more my managers are criticized, the closer Rocco will be to them, this is my method» the owner has always replied viola.

Cagliari Calcio was also among the first to express deep condolences for the death of Baron with a note in which the club wanted to remember the "frank and loyal" person, the "enlightened sports manager , who in recent years with his skills and His enthusiasm was able to give impetus to the growth of Serie A. "

The funeral will be celebrated in the United States while on Saturday a mass will be held in Pozzallo , in the province of Ragusa, where the Viola director was born on 20 March 1966.

The chapel of rest for the last farewell to Joe Barone, Fiorentina says on its channels, will be open on Wednesday from 9am to 9pm at Viola park, "in the square between the Chapel of Santa Caterina and the events pavilion".

(Unioneonline/vl)

© Riproduzione riservata