Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte revealed the team was devastated after the death of fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone. Ventrone, also known as “The Marine” for his demanding fitness routines, passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 61 following a brief battle with leukemia. Tottenham honored the Italian coach by donning a Ventrone tribute shirt prior to their play against Brighton on Saturday. Hugo Lloris, the team’s captain, stood in front of the Brighton fans after the game and held out a shirt that read, “Gian Piero.”
“The wake is tomorrow. We will accompany the employees,” Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte said. “I want to give his son and daughter great hugs and remind them that they must be strong since Gian Piero has a strong spirit. He doesn’t want to witness our misery. It’s challenging to make him happy since we are so deeply saddened by the suffering.”
“It was really, really difficult for us to come here and focus on the game because what happened over the prior three days was so incredible. I was aware of how awful things were after the game against Frankfurt [on Wednesday], but no one could have imagined how bad things would get,” he added. “It was a condition, but it was managed. Following that, I experienced a lot of difficulty because of the situation’s profound emotional impact. It might be quite difficult to keep your feelings from the Tottenham players and staff when it happens. I have also seen a tremendous deal of cooperation. The pain and the entire Spurs environment destroyed the players; the mood was dreadful since, in my opinion, Gian Piero broke everyone’s hearts in less than 10 months.”
For more football news, click here
