With a minute's silence, and with one representative from each group speaking, the Chamber commemorated Gigi Riva, a legend of Italian soccer who passed away last night at the age of 80. Taking the floor, also because Riva represented an important symbol of the island, were mainly Sardinian parliamentarians: "Gigi Riva for us was and will always remain a distinctive flag, a distinctive feature of our being Sardinians. That is why I believe he deserves a tribute not only from us, but from everyone, for that great champion he was, in sport and in life, and for that he is already a myth, he is already in the legend and for us Sardinians, but I believe for all Italians, he will remain forever in our hearts," are the words of Ugo Cappellacci, related with Forza Italia, former president of the Region. "Even today Sardinia and the Sardinians - yesterday the doctors who had taken care of him said so - have to thank him. For what he was, not only as a champion, but as a man of sports, a man of family, of society, of being together. Italy still owes him and can thank him, so much so that many of us are asking for an official recognition of his funeral. Thank you Gigi, you were the best of us and your example will remain engraved in us," says Silvio Lai of the PD. "I remember him above all for the hugs, for his ability to console in the moments of defeats, to take care of the players who were in that moment in difficulty, because maybe they were being substituted, they were not being played or, maybe, as happened to Baggio in Pasadena, they had missed a penalty kick, because we know that penalty kicks are missed by those who have the courage to shoot them," Maria Elena Boschi of Italia Viva emphasized. "So, the photos of victories are always very crowded, it is true on the soccer fields and it is true in any area of life. Defeats, on the other hand, often see the loneliness of people. Here, Gigi Riva was there, he was also next to those who at that moment had a moment of difficulty, and in this for me lies the greatness, generosity and heart of a man”.
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