Former Fiorentina striker Francesco Flachi made his return to football over the weekend after more than a decade ban for cocaine use.
Flachi was suspended for 12 years following a relapse while at Brescia in Serie B.
With a desire to end his career on his terms, Flachi has made a return with fifth-tier outfit Signa 1914 near his hometown of Florence.
Flachi who played 30 minutes in Signa’s 2-2 draw against Prato 2000, revealed that he was delighted to finally return.
“This day cancels 12 years of disqualification. It is my rebirth,” Flachi told Gazzetta dello Sport. “This is the proof that I have also rebuilt.
“What have I felt? At first I felt dizzy, I haven’t slept for a week due to tension.
“Now I’m so happy, I want to thank everyone who made me feel like I was before: a football player,” he added.
The ex-Serie A forward played over 100 games in the top tier of Italian football during a career stretching between 1993 and 2010,
Before his drugs ban however, he had made his name with Fiorentina and Sampdoria, helping both clubs out of Serie B during his respective tenures, while winning the Coppa Italia in 1996 with the former as a youngster.
