Bologna, Mihajlovic and the disease: Sinisa’s deja vu

From our correspondent Matteo Dalla Vite

March 26
– Casteldebole (Bologna)

A bad déjà-vu. A terrible second half. Another time. “It’s crazy, it’s crazy”, he says as he leaves the Technical Center in Casteldebole and shakes his head Riccardo Orsolini. Heads are low, disbelief everywhere, the strength to reactivate will come. The sports director Riccardo Bigon is close to Sinisa, the chief executive Marco Di Vaio chats for two minutes with the reporters and with his face painted with malaise. Bologna returned to review that feature film that began on 13 July 2019 when Sinisa Mihajlovic took the field for that first half against leukemia. “If one lesson wasn’t enough for him, I’m here ready to give him a second one. You can fall, but you have to find the strength to get up”: Sinisa’s second half. By playing in advance.

Field first

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There is no message on social media that is not of total closeness. Until two days ago, the start on the field of 2022 (6 points in 10 matches) had created a division among the fans: Sinisa yes, Sinisa no. As happens on a planet that can only talk about football. Now football will go on but priority is something else entirely. “Get well”. “Forza Sinisa”. “You’ll make it this time too.” The fans are on one side only, his. He who, before communicating his new battle to the whole team, had directed the training, as always. At 10.30 o’clock Sinisa had put himself in the middle of the field to keep the programs made: the team in the field and he who attended the races / repeated of the boys while the trainer Marchesi plays music almost to exorcise the rough moment. Another battle to be faced. Sinisa walked with her own thoughts in the middle of the field: every now and then he stopped with his collaborators and said something. Perhaps the work to be carried out from next week onwards. Everyone was approaching. One by one. Or it was he who went towards each of them. At a certain point De Leo approaches who with Tanjga withstood the impact when on 13 July 2019 Sinisa announced the first half of the battle, of leukemia to fight. Nobody smiles. All upside down and hands behind their backs as if another devastating cyclone comes – and comes -. And so, unfortunately, it was. Even if there were hints because the “discovery” dates back to a few weeks ago, knowing that now everything starts again has another effect. After the training Sinisa communicated everything to the team, before the press conference at 12: it seemed to be back on 13 July 2019 when he connected with the team already in retreat in Castelrotto via Skype to tell the boys – bursting into tears – which would be was on his way from there shortly.

Act of force

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In July 2019 Sinisa discovered that he had contracted acute myeloid leukemia on day 10: an adductor problem, playing padel with his old friends, had alarmed him to the point of having to do a specific exam. On the 13th he called a press conference to say that it would all begin: that day, in the front row, there was also Arianna. The emotion mixed with anger was something unstoppable. Sinisa entered the hospital on July 15 of that 2019 which became the year of the resurrection, with a team that fought for him by becoming Bologna United and that he went to direct on the bench on August 25 in Verona for a promise made at the time of the announcement. private to the whole team. “I’ll be with you at the first championship.” That was a day of shock: the team did not expect it and saw him arrive in the technical meeting room at the hotel of the Verona retreat. “I weighed thirteen kilos less, I was a walking dead,” he then said. That evening he had a mask and was struggling to take three steps towards the team who then drew one by one. It was a monstrous act of force.

United, again

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Sinisa, then, also showed up in Bologna-Spal on 30 August but the scene that has remained in everyone’s hearts took place on 15 September: Bologna is on stage in Brescia, wins in comeback and – on his return – at the diesse Bigon comes in mind to make a surprise: the whole team goes under Sinisa’s window at Sant’Orsola to greet him. He looks out. It is one of the most touching moments of that journey in which Sinisa then undergoes a bone marrow transplant (October 29), an event to be celebrated on November 4, 2011 in a super dinner with Gianni Morandi and a gift that is a stick with pacifier attached, a grandfather (because he just became a grandfather) who turned one year old. On November 17 Sinisa is celebrated by the Municipality of Bologna: honorary citizen for a city that has walked for him to San Luca (October 6, together with Lazio fans). Now, another time to play. “We will not give up an inch: I have a team of good guys and good players” says Mihajlovic today. Who will now get back remotely, in a room of the Pavilion “Advanced cellular therapies departmental program” with Professor Bonifazi who had already followed him for the first time together with Professor Cavo. “Now they’ve given me a bigger room,” Sinisa says. He will have his monitors, he will connect with Baldi who, like two and a half years ago, will act as an intermediary between the duo De Leo-Tanjga and Sinisa. That Bologna United did unthinkable things compacted as never before. Now we need an encore. For Sinisa. That on Tuesday he will return to the Sant’Orsola to restart a second half that will last a month. More Sinisa than ever.