MODENA. There wouldn’t even be a need to introduce it Andrea Catellani, because everyone here knows him. The presentation of him as the new Sporting Director of Modena, scheduled today at the club’s headquarters, is however indispensable as an official moment that marks the beginning of a new technical-sporting management after the divorce from Davide Vaira. It will also be an opportunity to get to know the ideas of the new Gialloblù manager, who, in his young career, is trying his hand at this role for the first time, after having held it at youth level in Chievo and Spal.
THE CARREER
In these parts, however, as we said, we know him well, especially for the two years (2008-10) of Serie B (68 appearances, 16 goals) played in the yellow and blue uniform, on loan from Catania. His arrival in the control room of the first team makes him the fourth Sports Director of the first yellow-blue team who came to this position after being a Modena player. It should be remembered that this is a role that was only defined in Italian football in the 1960s, while previously it was often up to the Secretary of the club to also deal with technical issues.
THE PAST
The Italian Association of Sports Directors, among other things, was only established in November 1976. Returning to Modena, the first who became Diesse after being a yellow-blue footballer was Giovanni Botteghi. Born in Livorno in 1955, an elegant midfielder, he was purchased by Paolo Borea in 1975 to strengthen Modena who returned to Serie B and here he played three years in the yellow and blue uniform, totaling 53 appearances and 2 goals. Having remained living in our city, he held the position of Sports Director during the presidency of Gigi Montagnani. The same role in the three-year period 2009-12 was Fausto Pari, midfielder, born in 1962, who had the merit of bringing to Modena a good coach like Cristiano Bergodi and talented players, such as Pasquato, Signori, Mazzarani, Di Gennaro and Ardemagni. In Modena he ended his career as a footballer (66 appearances, one goal) in the two-year period 1998/2000, after the years with Parma, Napoli and above all the Sampdoria of Boskov, Vialli and Mancini, with whom he had won the scudetto (1991). Last in order of time Fabrizio Salvatori, born in 1955, Sporting Director of Modena who returned to Serie C in 2019/20 after bankruptcy and Serie D, while he had worn the yellow and blue shirt in Serie C 1978/79 (31 appearances). However, Marco Ballotta must also be added to this list who, after 276 appearances on the pitch in two different periods (1984-91 and 2001-04), was DG and Diesse at the start of the 2008/09 season for just 35 days. Which, however, was enough for him to bring Catellani to Modena from Catania.
