THE INTERVIEW
The last time Venezia had tasted Serie A there was a lot of Friuli in the lagoon management. Maurizio Zamparini as president, Enzo Cainero as CEO.
Cainero, when there was a promotion or salvation to celebrate, did you dive into the canal behind the Penzo tribune?
“No, but we were celebrating all right. Sometimes even for a salvation won in Serie B. In all, I spent nine years there as CEO, not a few ».
In this club there is a lot of Venice: the manager of the technical area Poggi, the sports director Collauto and some players. The recipe of hiring people linked to the territory still works.
“Yup. The hard core of very strong local boys was also present in our times ».
What square is Venice?
«Difficult, without a new stadium it becomes difficult to plan. In my day we had identified the area to build it near the airport, then the project did not materialize. I do not know the current ownership but I hope that a new planning will be born from this recovery ».
Paolo Poggi was one of his players.
“Exceptional boy. He was very young then, we gave him to Toro from whom Udinese then took him ».
How many coaches, and which coaches, did you get to know?
«Zaccheroni, Spalletti, Prandelli, Novellino. I took them, exempted them and then went to call them back. The dirty work was always up to me, not the then ds Marotta … ».
Yes, Marotta. Today he is unanimously considered the best manager of Italian football.
«Beppe is an exceptional, competent person. He has always taken into account the company he worked for and his farewell to Juventus proves it ».
What do you mean?
“He was against the crazy expenses that were made.”
Speaking of crazy expenses: Conte was under contract, he didn’t want to stay and he even received a severance pay. Inter could not tell him: o respectsGet the contract or resign?
“I’m perfectly agree. If one decides to leave, he cannot also be supported with a prize ».
Cainero, but do you still like this football?
«No, I watch it on TV, but it’s not my football anymore. Passion and willpower are not what they used to be. And perhaps it is no coincidence that the quality of the Italian championship is definitely down. But I miss one thing: the atmosphere of the locker room ».
The allenator to whom are you most attached?
“Everyone has had a story. The one I stayed in contact with is Zaccheroni. Together we have spent extraordinary moments ».
What kind of newbie was he?
«A good coach with a difficult character that at times prevented him from always having a good relationship with the presidency. Let’s say it wasn’t very controllable ».
In Venice they still remember the salvation achieved thanks to the purchase of Recoba in January.
“I had a wonderful relationship with him. Sinister fairy, but also a good guy. Volpi and Pedone knew that if they put five right balls on him, two of them ended up in it ».
Was there any player you had a fight with?
“Let’s say that when I saw someone in the locker room who spent hours combing their hair and taking care of themselves to make themselves beautiful, my arms would fall off. But I don’t name any ».
You also worked at Udinese in the early 1980s. Do you remember?
«I have met guys with whom I have fraternal relations. I think of Tesser, but also of Miano, Cinello, Borin. On that team was the smartest footballer I’ve ever met: I’m talking about Surjak. Ivica outwitted us all. During the war in the former Yugoslavia he came to play a friendly match at Friuli to remember Cecotti, then I found him again when Edy Reja went to coach Hajduk. Exceptional person ». –