Broken promises are crippling Parma, says Lucarelli

A run of broken promises from Parma owners are behind the Serie A club’s demise, according to captain Alessandro Lucarelli.

Alessandro Lucarelli has hit out at Parma’s last three owners for mis-managing the club and leaving them on the brink of bankruptcy.

The Serie A outfit have struggled with funds throughout the current campaign with players going unpaid for months at a time, earning Parma a one-point deduction earlier this season.

Further sanctions are likely after Sunday’s clash with Udinese was postponed due to financial issues, with Lucarelli – the Parma captain – criticising former owners Tommaso Ghirardi and Rezart Taci, plus current incumbent Giampietro Manenti for failing to deliver on promises.

“Things have been strange for two years. The club always tended to pay our wages on the deadline day. That made us suspicious,” Lucarelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“In November the now ex-president Tommaso Ghirardi came to the locker room and told us our wages hadn’t been paid because he was in negotiations with Rezart Taci to sell the club, but negotiations did not go well.

“He said that he wouldn’t put one more Euro into Parma. We felt betrayed and taken for a ride by Ghirardi.

“I never even saw Taci. 

“Manenti immediately put big promises on the table. He showed us a bank statement ‘proving’ that he had €100m available to invest in Parma. That was a really big sum, so we were slightly dubious.

“Then, every day, it was the same thing: there are red tape problems, we have to wait another day or two. So far, we haven’t seen a single Euro.”

Despite the problems Parma’s players continue to remain loyal to the club, with Lucarelli saying they will not go on strike and plunge the club into administration.

“Making the club fail means sending home at least 200 families who work for Parma,” he added.

“I am not thinking of the players, but of those who are supposed to get wages of €1,000 per month. We feel this responsibility on our shoulders.”