Fiorentina and Serie A will miss Rocco Commisso | OneFootball

Fiorentina and Serie A are mourning Rocco B Commisso, whose death has shocked Italian football. The club said in a statement that it will play all fixtures this weekend in his honour. His six-and-a-half-year tenure leaves an imprint on Florence and beyond.

He arrived in June 2019 like a whirlwind, preaching 'fast, fast, fast' and promising action. After the long Della Valle era, many supporters welcomed the change.

Commisso raised the club’s profile, taking the team through the Bronx where he grew up to share the emigrant story. Born in Calabria, he brought a New York twang and the self-made clout of Mediacom. Stadium plans stalled amid bureaucracy, so he built Viola Park, a state-of-the-art training base that bears his name.

Results brought hope and heartache. Fiorentina embraced their nearly-men tag with near misses in the Coppa Italia and the Conference League, those nights now even more bittersweet. A trophy to crown his reign always felt close.

The sudden death of general manager Joe Barone in 2024 rocked the club, depriving Commisso of his closest lieutenant. Criticism of his recent absences now jars in light of the seriousness of his illness.

He inherited a side that had finished 16th and early seasons were hit by Covid, yet progress followed. Vincenzo Italiano’s appointment proved pivotal, yielding three strong campaigns and three losing finals. West Ham struck late in a Conference League final after long spells of Viola control, a result that fed the nearly-man tag the coach soon shed at Bologna.

Source: Football Italia