‘It seemed like a war’: Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini feared for his life as he fought virus

When Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was fighting the coronavirus in mid-March, the prospect of getting into Bergamo’s hospital — which was overflowing with COVID-19 sufferers on the time — made him worry for his life.

“Every two minutes an ambulance passed by. … It seemed like a war,” Gasperini mentioned. “At night, I would think, ‘If go in there (the hospital), what will happen to me?’” Fortunately for Gasperini, he shortly recovered and didn’t must test into the Pope John XXIII hospital.The coach solely not too long ago confirmed that he had the virus when the whole group was examined 10 days in the past, he mentioned in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport revealed on Sunday.

The 62-year-old Gasperini began feeling sick on March 9, a day earlier than Atalanta performed at Valencia within the second leg of the Champions League spherical of 16.

He mentioned that when he returned to Bergamo, which was shortly changing into the epicenter of the pandemic, “I didn’t have a fever but I felt destroyed and as if I had a 40-degree (Celsius, or 104 Fahrenheit) fever.”Many specialists have pointed to the first-leg recreation between Atalanta and Valencia on Feb. 19 in Milan as one of many greatest the reason why the virus was so lethal in Bergamo. The match has been dubbed “Game Zero” by the native media.

With the virus advancing quickly throughout Europe, the second leg in Valencia was performed with out followers. Still, greater than 35% of Valencia’s group grew to become contaminated.

More than 16,000 folks have died from the virus within the Lombardy area containing Bergamo, which has been one of many hardest-hit cities.

“It will take years to really understand what happened,” Gasperini mentioned.”Every time I give it some thought, it appears absurd: The excessive level of our sporting (achievement) coincided with town’s deepest ache.

“I feel more Bergamasco now,” added Gasperini, who’s from the Turin space.

Previously the one member of Atalanta who was confirmed as testing positive for the virus was reserve goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

Atalanta superior to the quarterfinals on 8-Four combination however has not performed since then with soccer not resulting from restart in Italy till mid-June.

“Atalanta can help Bergamo recover, while respecting the pain and those in mourning,” Gasperini mentioned.”It will take time to see folks celebrating once more within the piazzas or on the airport, however the Bergamaschi preserve their fires burning beneath the ashes.

“There isn’t one player who left the city. More than one of them lost weight, which could also be the sign of psychological issues,” the coach added.”It’s tough to learn everybody’s repressed emotional state. Some of them had their households far-off.

“One thing for sure, though, is that the squad remained connected with Bergamo’s suffering and it will bring that out onto the field.”