«The boys of Scampia risk losing their gym»- Corriere.it

The future of the master’s judo gym is at risk
Gianni Maddaloni in Scampia. The Municipality is asking for the balance of arrears of a little more than 380,000 euros, and sets the monthly lease for the building in which the building is located at 1,900 euros. Star Judo Club
. Figures absolutely beyond Maddaloni’s possibilities. Above all, he never considered having to pay rent for that gym born inside a municipal property for the simple reason that he was never asked. Why the Star Judo Club it was not born to do business but to offer the boys of Scampia an alternative to the Strada, which in these parts means dealing and Camorra. Objective centered on the plan, and celebrated by books, even a fiction for Rai1, and by the recognition of Coni which with the president Malagò he defined Maddaloni’s commitment to transmitting the values ​​of judo and sport to the boys of Scampia, and above all respect for the rules and laws, as “legendary”.

The Federation

Not to mention that even the Fijlkam (the Italian Judo, Karate and Martial Arts Federation) has benefited greatly from it thanks to a long series of successes in the competitive field which include world, European and Italian titles and have been conquered by athletes born and raised on this tatami. The letter in which the Star Judo Club is indicated as a “debtor to the Municipality of Naples for unpaid monthly installments relating to fees and/or occupational allowances (…) for a total of € 380,574.70” is dated 29 December and was sent by Napoli Servizi, the company in house of the Municipality which manages, among other things, the assets. But in the delivery report of the facility on October 11, 2005, when the mayor was Rosa Russo Iervolinothere is no mention of royalties, but Maddaloni is clearly indicated as the “assigned to all legal effects” of the property in question.

The monthly fee

«Here – explains the master – the monthly tuition is symbolic, and those who can’t even pay that, train anyway. Then there are the prisoners sent to us by the supervisory judge, and we have had hundreds of them, and the kids with relationship problems that the schools ask us to take in. We do social work, how can you think we can pay those figures?». Maddaloni is waiting for a signal from the mayor Gaetano Manfredi, count on him to prevent everything from falling apart. A phone call, however, has not yet arrived, even if the mayor seems to be open to it: «I’m interested in the question. We are well aware of the concrete work that structures such as Maddaloni have been carrying out for years in favor of the territory and for the younger generations and we are trying to identify the right administrative solution to allow these realities to continue their action in full regularity and serenity”.