After the Champions League match against Halkbank Ankara, the president of champions Perugia, Gino Sirci, lashed out against the local newspaper "Il Corriere dell'Umbria," which he claims is to blame for dedicating the 65th page (actually, it appears to be the 44th, a full page) to the presentation of the match against the Turks, which is one of the reasons – according to the president – for the unusual attendance at the "PalaBarton" arena. The scandal was reported by volleyball.it.
Gino Sirci publicly criticized the newspaper"Il Corriere dell'Umbria", accusing it of not adequately covering the team's successes in the Champions League. The Umbria Sports Press Association (USSI) issued a statement defending journalists and the newspaper's editorial independence, emphasizing that no one (including club presidents)has the right to dictate how the media should present the news. Sirci further claims that the media should place volleyball on the front pages, similar to how national publications likeGazzetta dello Sportcover a tennis player likeJannik Sinner.The president of Perugia wantedgreater attention to the club's successes, which could help promote the sport and attract more sponsors. On the other hand, journalists oppose any attempts to pressure their editorial decisions., което можело да помогне за популяризирането на спорта и привличането на още спонсори. От друга страна, журналистите се противопоставят на всякакви опити за натиск върху редакционните им решения.