In an interview with *La Nazione* last December, the Viola’s owner touched on his health: “I’m always up to date, but I miss being in touch with the team, the players, Viola Park, and the people who work there every day”

Rocco Commisso had never experienced a moment like this as president of Fiorentina. The Viola are at the bottom of the standings, with zero wins after 14 matchdays. They’ve replaced the coach and the sporting director, but the team isn’t responding, and the city now fears a shocking relegation. The Italian-American, who has led the club since 2019, hasn’t set foot at the club in a long time due to health issues: “I miss being in touch with the team, the players, Viola Park, and the people who work there every day, but I’m always up to date,” he said in an exclusive interview with La Nazione. “I’m disappointed that I can’t be in Florence to fight as I’m used to doing in difficult situations, but right now I wouldn’t be able to handle such a long flight.”

I’m not giving up—  Fiorentina’s top executive speaks out once again. His health isn’t holding up, but that doesn’t mean he’s trying to sell the club: “These rumors only serve to further destabilize the environment when, on the contrary, what’s needed is great unity from everyone,” the Viola owner added. If I’d thought that way every time I faced difficulties with one of my companies, Mediacom wouldn’t be the model of excellence it is today. All companies go through tough times, but the foresight of a company’s leader lies precisely in learning from those dark moments so we can emerge stronger. I’ve never given up on any of my ventures, and I certainly won’t do so now.”
Confidence in Vanoli—  Commisso believes in his executives, even though the standings are distressing: “The people who work with me fully understand the dynamics and have been in soccer for many years. Of course, everyone’s performance will be evaluated at the end of the season, but right now, the people working at Fiorentina have my full confidence. We’re facing a difficult situation and we must find a way out of it; we cannot allow Fiorentina to be relegated.” He also expressed support for head coach Vanoli, who took over from Pioli. “He has my full confidence, and he is certainly not the one ultimately responsible for this situation. Paolo gave up the contract he had with Torino to come to Florence, accepting one that runs only through June. He’s put himself on the line for Fiorentina and is working day and night to get us out of this situation: he has my full support, and we all need to stand by him and help him in his work.”

stadium—  Then there’s the Franchi issue, a stadium that’s a construction site: “It’s penalizing us. The timeline is getting longer, and playing in front of only half our fans is harmful to everyone. We hope we can find a mutually acceptable solution, but, as I’ve always said, we need a clear timeline and clear ideas on how to proceed and manage everything.” Finally, a message to the fans: “They’ve understood the situation perfectly; they’ve chosen to set aside their deepest frustrations to support us and help the team climb back up the standings. I’m not talking about those who threatened our players: certain individuals cannot be called fans, and as a club, we immediately took action with the authorities to prosecute those who commit these shameful and despicable acts.”