“Addà passà ‘a nuttata,” a famous Neapolitan phrase meaning “this too shall pass,” sums up the approach of Sandro Campagna, head coach of Italy’s men’s water polo team.
Campagna spoke the day after his team was handed a six-month suspension by the Aquatics Integrity Unit (AIU). The punishment stems from a protest following their quarterfinal loss to Hungary at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite the penalty, Campagna remained reflective, expressing that while the sanction is justified, the emotions behind the protest were deeply rooted in a sense of injustice.
“We acknowledge that the punishment is fair,” Campagna stated, “but we are neither violent nor sore losers. We’ve always respected our opponents. What happened was the most glaring referee error I’ve seen in my 45 years in water polo. Naturally, it triggered an emotional, yet calm and civil reaction, which, unfortunately, violated the rules.”
Campagna was quick to clarify that the protest remained purely verbal. “There was no physical aggression, but it was a strong verbal contestation,” he explained to Lapresse. “At one point, the referees headed towards the exit to leave the pool area, and people gathered by the door, causing a bit of crowding.”
Campagna recounted how he had stepped off the team bus to address the situation. “I approached the Integrity Unit delegate and asked him to understand our state of mind. We had suffered a massive injustice. After calming the players, we left the scene. The entire episode lasted no more than 30 seconds,” he said.
Though the six-month suspension means Italy will miss the upcoming Water Polo World Cup, it will not affect their participation in the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. “When ‘a nuttata will be over,” concluded Campagna, with a hopeful smile.
The content and quotes from this article are attributed to Gazzetta dello Sport.