Serie C: Brescia-Ascoli, a duel imbued with the legacy of Carlo Mazzone

The final of the Serie C playoffs pits Union Brescia against Ascoli in a match full of emotions, under the sign of Carlo Mazzone, a major personality of Italian football who passed away on August 19, 2023. Nicknamed "Sor Carletto", this discreet but determined Roman still holds the historic record for matches on the bench in Serie A (792) and in total (1,278).

As Brescia and Ascoli prepare for the decisive double confrontation (first leg tomorrow, return Sunday), the memory of Mazzone inevitably looms large. His relationship with Ascoli is more than just a professional step: arriving at the club as a player in 1960, he remained there until 1969, playing 219 games as captain and making the Del Duca stadium his second home.

Under the presidency of Costantino Rozzi, he took charge of the first team in 1968-69 while he was still a player, thus beginning a coaching career that would never end. Mazzone led the Bianconeri Marchigiani from Serie C to Serie A, achieving several promotions that established this provincial club as an important player in Italian football. He returned to coach Ascoli a second time in the 1970s.

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The city's loyalty to him is unwavering: in 2019, the East Stand of the Stadio "Cino e Lillo Del Duca" bore his name and, upon his death, the Piazza del Popolo was invaded by a crowd who came to pay tribute to him.

His other great story was written in Lombardy, in Brescia, where he managed the team from 2000 to 2003. At the Lombard club, he persuaded Roberto Baggio, then in his thirties and weakened by injuries, to sign up, thus offering him a last breath on the fields close to his family. Mazzone was also at the origin of the tactical reconversion of Andrea Pirlo into a sentry, a transformation which profoundly marked his career and Italian football.

He also formed a strong friendship with Pep Guardiola, who invited him to the Champions League final won in Rome by his FC Barcelona in 2009.

Brescia and Ascoli, currently united on the field in a crucial battle, share this heritage embodied by Carlo Mazzone: two provincial clubs, two fervent communities, two authentic football stories, a faithful reflection of the "Sor Carletto" spirit. The final is played without him, but he remains forever present in hearts.