Many protagonists of the team that ended the 1979 season without defeat wanted to be present to pay homage to the coach who died at the age of 82
February 21 – Milan
The funeral home in San Sisto and the function in the church of San Giovanni Battista, a breath away from the Curi stadium, right there where at times he felt immortal. Perugia’s last farewell to Ilario Castagner – who passed away on February 18 at the age of 82 – slipped away like this, on a leaden afternoon, as if to underline the sadness of the farewell. “But it’s not goodbye, this is just a goodbye, because Ilario will always stay with us,” says Mauro Angelini, the Perugia Calcio chaplain.
The function
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Yes, because at the function there are all those who care about the red and white colors. There is all of Perugia, led by the president Santopadre and by mister Castori. And there are many former teammates and friends of Ilario’s football such as Walter Novellino, Lamberto Boranga, Nello Malizia, Paolo Dal Fiume and Franco Vannini. And then there are the institutions, led by the mayor Andrea Romizi, to pay homage to a piece of history of the Umbrian city. And his family: his wife Liliana and their children Federico, Francesco and Laura, with their six grandchildren remember him as the best of grandparents. Fabrizio Ravanelli and Serse Cosmi had instead faced the funeral home in the hours preceding the function, where instead there are many red and white scarves of fans who loved Ilario.
The coffin is wrapped in the shirts and banners of his Perugia, with his niece Nicoletta who remembers him with the heart, as a man and a coach. The next match is up there, next to two other red and white legends such as Pierluigi Frosio and Paolo Rossi. From there, the Perugia coach of miracles will be able to smile again at life, he who had the most beautiful smile in Italian football.
February 21st – 4.32pm
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