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Marco Liorni gave an interview to Il Romanista. A great Giallorossi fan, among the various topics addressed, he had to answer a complicated question, namely the choice between leading Sanremo or seeing Roma lift the Scudetto. Below are his words:
The interview
Liorni, it’s strange to imagine you cheering for Roma in the Curva Sud with the boys from Commando Ultrà.
«I was young and even if I wasn’t present in all the games, I knew all the chants by heart. I still hum them now. Sometimes I happen to sing the funniest ones to my daughters who have a lot of fun. I don’t know if they are still made. In addition to going to the stadium, I also loved going to watch training at Tre Fontane.”
Have you ever cried for Roma?
«In 1986, for the Scudetto lost to Lecce. That seemed like a written fairy tale, a wonderful ride that should have ended in a different way. Even in 2010, when we lost to Sampdoria, practically saying goodbye to the Italian dream just a few games from the finish line. An incredible disappointment.”
Tears there too?
«No, I didn’t cry because I was a different age. I was in Spain for work reasons, I saw it alone and I remember that I felt terrible. So much so that I couldn’t speak for a while. For those who do my job it’s a problem.”
Sorry if I mention another bitterness: you still haven’t told me about May 30, 1984.
«Liverpool? The huge queue to buy the ticket in the previous weeks, I remember the smoke bombs, there were riots, the police. And in addition to the smoke bombs I also got a few kicks in the butt from the policemen. When I think of Roma-Liverpool, silence comes to mind. That unreal silence as tens of thousands of people left the stadium, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.”
Is Roma still your great love?
«No, Rome is not a love but a falling in love! Love stabilizes in some way, while falling in love is always very passionate and you experience all the pain and also the immense joys, always having unique emotions in exchange. When there is a goal, for example, everyone feels an uncontainable euphoria at the same precise moment. Or despair and anger. What else can give you feelings like that collectively at the same time? Perhaps someone might think that we are in a bad situation if we can only find this thing in football, but that’s how it is. You never stop, in love from childhood to adulthood.”
Let’s also talk about joys: is the best moment the Scudetto?
«The first Scudetto of ’83 can never be forgotten, also because I viscerally loved Paulo Roberto Falcao. I loved him not only for what he did on the pitch but also for how he behaved off it. After the defeat at home against Juventus he proved to be a great driving force, proving decisive in the victory in Pisa the following Sunday. In that week, which was very difficult for us fans after the internal defeat against the Bianconeri, he chose to go as a guest on Minoli’s “Mixer” program to speak to all the Giallorossi people, reassuring us that he would take the Scudetto home. A leader. But do we realize who we are talking about? Furthermore, that Rome had many people with great personalities, and I hope that this ingredient will also be kept in mind for the Rome to come.”
What do you mean?
«I hear De Rossi saying that he wants good players and he is right because football is going in that direction but I always hope that beyond the technical and physical characteristics the new signings who will wear our shirt all have one element in common: personality. In the end, the great teams are those that have champions and players with personality, and more often than not the two things also coincide.”
So do you expect an ambitious Roma for next year?
«I’m fine with young players who can do a lot on them, but we need great players or at least people with the right mentality. We are Roma and we cannot afford to experiment too much with a team of kids, also because young people need important personalities alongside them to be able to grow at their best. We have some strong players, but they are lacking in some areas of the pitch.”
Let me quote your program: that inheritance did he leave Mourinho at Roma?
“Huge. A legacy of mentality and we saw it in many games even after his farewell. De Rossi brought the lightness that was actually needed. He could see it. I was also struck by Daniele’s statement in reference to the team’s rejection of the three-man defence. Maybe that too is a sign that something had worn out. Mourinho asks a lot of you on a mental level and in the end you pay for it, De Rossi did a monumental job because he managed to take the beauty and enhance everything that a great man like Mou had brought.”
What do you think of the Friedkins? You are a man of communication and this property has never spoken publicly, preferring facts to words.
«Roma is not just a club, Roma is the fans. Because if you remove the people who support the team everything ends and therefore these people need to be spoken to. However, it is not certain that the Friedkins or the CEO Lina Souloukou should do this, but there must be a sporting director capable of this too. I have never been a fan of Tiago Pinto because in my opinion a sporting director must deal with the transfer market, with the management of the sports area, but he must also be a frontman from a communication point of view. Pinto sometimes did interviews, but he was missing on many occasions. Maybe the club didn’t want a head-on clash with the referees and I also agree that Roma shouldn’t make scenes that don’t lead to anything anyway.”
So I imagine she didn’t like Mourinho’s behaviour.
«No, I didn’t like that aspect, in fact I think it was one of the main reasons for his departure. I believe that Mourinho realized that he had arrived in a place where people needed a personality like his and someone who would defend them in the face of the wrongs they have suffered historically and which at times have proven not to be exaggerations on the part of ours, but much more. But that way of protesting is the wrong path. De Rossi also protests, but he does it in the right way and above all not always but only when necessary. Daniele could also be a manager due to his dialectical ability and his clarity.”
Liorni, but if the genie asked her to express just one wish: to lead the next Sanremo Festival or Roma champion of Italy 2024/25. What would you choose?
«Ah, this is bad (laughs, ed.). Hosting the Festival would be a great professional satisfaction because it is considered a culmination of a host’s career, but it would be a single joy while the championship is a collective joy. So how could I be so selfish and deny at least a million people a dream? So I choose the championship.”
