Foggia, risk of penalty: it's the day of the verdict

It is judgement day for Foggia, who will know today whether they will have to start the next Serie C championship with a penalty. The risk of starting with a minus sign in the standings is high. After midday, the hearing before the National Federal Court is scheduled for videoconference, which should have been held on May 29 and has been postponed to today. The referral against the Rossoneri club for failure to pay, by the federal deadline of April 16, 2025, the salaries and contributions of last February will be discussed. In fact, two months ago, the company owned by Nicola Canonico should have paid emoluments and contributions and taxes for a total of almost 300 thousand euros. A deadline that was not respected (it was then remedied at the beginning of June) and which triggered the referral. The Daunia club risks starting next season with at least 4 penalty points. Today, in the hearing before the National Federal Court, in addition to the lawyer Eduardo Chiacchio, the Rossoneri club's legal representative for what concerns sports justice proceedings, the judicial administration, represented by Vincenzo Chionna, will also intervene.

Foggia has been under anti-mafia judicial protection for a month (the first case in Italy) after the judicial investigation into the alleged intimidation for extortion purposes suffered in the last two years by the Rossoneri club, in particular by Canonico and his son Emanuele but also by managers, players of the club and even by some ultras. The strategy of the Rossoneri club, with the support of the judicial administration, is to explain that the non-compliance of the club was influenced by external conditioning, of criminal origin, later revealed by the documents of the investigation. The objective is to try to avoid the penalty or at least obtain a reduction of the sanction provided for by the federal rules. Sentence expected this afternoon.

In the background, meanwhile, remains the dialogue between Nicola Canonico and Building Company Italia, which has expressed its desire to acquire the shares of Foggia. The entrepreneur from Bari is at the crossroads between the possible sale of the company and his fifth consecutive season as owner of the «Satanelli»

Today, however, is also the day when the Federal Council will meet again. Among the topics on the FIGC agenda is the examination of any appeals by clubs that have not obtained the national license for admission to the 2025/26 professional championships (Brescia, Lucchese and Spal are the excellent excluded). The first step that will lead to readmissions for the completion of the staff, then to the composition of the three groups of twenty teams and the compilation of the calendars.

CANDELA AT «ZACCHERIA» Next season, on the pitch of the «Zaccheria» stadium will be played not only the Serie C matches of Foggia but also the Serie D matches of Heraclea Candela, who has reached an agreement with the municipal administration of Foggia, as confirmed by the president Gennaro Casillo, to be able to use the Foggia facility for home matches. The club from Monti Dauni achieved a historic promotion to Serie D a month and a half ago, finishing first, ahead of Battipagliese, in the Campania Eccellenza championship.