Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Thursday, February 26, 2026, 12:51 / Updated Thursday, February 26, 2026 12:51
Atalanta achieved a spectacular qualification in the “eighties”, 4-1 with Borussia Dortmund after 0-2 in the first leg, and its general manager, Luca Percassi, invokes Divinity.
Luca Percassi lashed out at the yellow-blacks in an interview with Sky Italia. “It is not possible for a club of the level of Borussia Dortmund to behave like this in 2024 and then, today and last week, to act as if nothing happened,” the Bergamo official began his tirade.
Atalanta CEO: “Anyone who left Atalanta will regret it”
The context? In 2024, Borussia transferred the talented Samuele Inacio, 17, from Atalanta U17, and the Italian club still feel they were treated unfairly in this case. The offensive midfielder, who can also act as a “top”, initially marked matches for the German U19 team, and since last summer he is part of the Borussia Dortmund II squad.
In front of the cameras, Percassi also said that, “in the case of Inacio, what happened tonight was a kind of divine justice. Anyone who left Atalanta will regret it, because this club is capable of extraordinary things.”
Luca Percassi, general director of the Atalanta club / Photo: Imago
The tension between the two clubs was evident from the moment Borussia arrived in Bergamo. According to the Bild tabloid, Atalanta's management refused to invite the yellow-black bosses to the traditional official dinner.
Borussia Dortmund claim they handled the transfer of Samuel Inacio correctly
And before the first leg, in Dortmund, there had been friction. Percassi had publicly called for more respect in relations between the clubs. And Atalanta officials had turned down an invitation from Borussia Dortmund for dinner.
The position of the German club is clear. Sporting director Lars Ricken has consistently rejected the Italians' accusations and stressed that everything related to Inacio's transfer was handled correctly and in accordance with the regulations.
