Fiorentina had their annual Christmas dinner at the new Florence Opera House last night, with players, directors and sponsors all coming together to toast the festive season. Viola president Andrea Della Valle found time to say a few words on the occasion: “We’re here to celebrate alongside our sponsors, who are an important part of the club. It’s great to be here all together, especially with the team returning to where it deserves to be.” Inevitably, the topic of conversation soon turned to the result of the Europa League round of 32 draw, which sees Fiorentina paired with English club Tottenham Hotspur: “Well, they’re probably one of the strongest teams in the competition, but that’s just fine. Like us, they’re a club of great traditions. “Perhaps it’s a fixture that would’ve been better suited to the semi-finals stage, but we’ll go to London to win. Whilst we respect Tottenham, this side isn’t scared of anyone. We love this type of match and it will be a great night for sure,” explained Della Valle. After around 2000 Viola fans made the trip to support their side against Cesena on Sunday, Della Valle was asked whether Italian football can start to fill its stadia once more: “Well, we’re nearly there with the plans for our new stadium. It’ll still be several months, but a new stadium is absolutely essential. We’re still lagging behind Germany and England in terms of our stadia, but with Juve and now us and I believe Roma, we can embark on a new cycle for Italian football.” Asked what he wishes for in the New Year, Della Valle recognised that the club has had a 2014 characterised both by success and misfortune: “Arguably we’ve had more than our fair share of bad luck this year. We want to make our fans happy and enjoy ourselves. We’re Fiorentina and we want to aim high. Our main objective is to ensure our fans leave the stadium with a spring in their step. “We aim to continue this cycle, which is now into its third season. There were some dissenting voices earlier this season whilst the team was experiencing some teething problems, but now we’re seeing the real Fiorentina,” declared Della Valle. There was also a final word on the Viola’s match against Empoli on Sunday: “It’s a really important match in terms of continuing our progression. Empoli are a tough side and it won’t be easy. But we need to be 100% determined to win every game.”
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