'Deep bitterness' - Salernitana doomed to relegation after play-off is abandoned as fans launch missiles onto field to stop clash against Sampdoria

Salernitana’s second leg against Sampdoria in the Serie B relegation playoff was abandoned after furious home supporters threw smoke bombs and seats onto the pitch. With Sampdoria leading 2-0 (4-0 on aggregate), the match at the Arechi Stadium was paused in the 65th minute, briefly resumed, then ultimately called off due to crowd violence. Italian media expect Sampdoria to be awarded a 3-0 win, sealing Salernitana’s relegation to Serie C.

After finishing last in Serie A and getting relegated, Salernitana’s hopes of stabilising in Serie B have spectacularly collapsed. It marks back-to-back relegations for the Campania club. CEO Maurizio Milan admitted deep regret, blaming poor leadership choices and chaotic mid-season decisions. He also confirmed the club will now rebuild in Serie C with a “leaner, more vertical” structure, promising lessons have been learned, albeit too late.

Salernitana CEO addressed the club’s relegation and the chaotic end to their playoff, expressing deep regret and admitting leadership failings in a post-match press conference: “It is a very sad night. For the club, for the city, for the fans. There are no platitudes, but deep bitterness on our part. I say right away that there are no excuses, then we will talk about what happened in these weeks. They made us very nervous about the disallowed goal, about the penalty not given, about obvious situations. The problem is that we should not have gotten to these playouts.”

Reflecting on the season's collapse and transfer missteps, Milan added: “In the January market we focused on players from whom we expected more. They had given us guarantees. The element that we take home as a lesson is that planning should not be postponed. From the departure for the retreat we will equip a team up to the task. We made the wrong choice of leaders for Salernitana, I can assure you that we will start again with conviction and determination.”

Sampdoria were initially relegated too, but were handed a playoff reprieve after Brescia were docked points. Salernitana suffered a food poisoning outbreak, delaying the second leg of the playoff. If confirmed, this will be the first time Salernitana drops to Serie C since 2015.

The club plan to overhaul their internal structure and appoint figures with experience in Italy’s third division. CEO Milan confirmed the Italian club will not abandon the project despite financial strain and fan unrest. The new focus: strategic planning, budget efficiency, and restoring fan trust, with an eye on bouncing back to Serie B as soon as possible.