The restaurant room of the Hotel Miralago in Cernobbio has changed. More modern, more fashionable, more in line with the tourist needs of an orbiting Como. But those diners haven’t changed. For decades, I have always been there, at that table. Tuesday evening. A group of friends, including the leaders of the strongest and most noble Como in history. Benito Gattei, the former president, Eugenio Roncoroni, his deputy, Aldo Lupi (who was in the club for little, but was always with them, just as you don’t miss a match at the stadium even now), Mario Priante. Plus other friends who have nothing to do with Como. Ciacole in freedom. About that unforgettable adventure. With the idea that today’s Calcio Como can repeat those exploits.
You’re always here eh…
Gattei: As long as we can… Unfortunately someone is no longer here. Renato Pozzi and Paolo Zerboni were also here, at this table. And we miss them very much.
See what Como did?
Gattei: I follow, I follow, of course. Compliments. You can see a mile away that it’s a nice, solid company. I offer my congratulations to everyone. And a wish: now, however, they have to beat our record of 5 years in Serie A in a row. It would be beautiful. I’m rooting for them.
Doesn’t he come to the stadium anymore? How come?
Gattei: It’s not that I’m very agile, eh… Climb up there… Maybe with the new stadium they’ll build an elevator, and then I could return.
Roncoroni: I also see them all on TV. I don’t miss a single one. Then it’s not like he can see very well anymore. And I’m not a great football expert. I joined Como because of my father who had been president, in 1974. But I have never had technical roles. I’ve never understood a thing about tactics… (laughs, ed.).
Lupi: for many years ours was row 13. Now it’s just me. I would love to still have them all near me. I’m starting to struggle too, climbing the steps. But I don’t give up. Como is a disease.
Five years in Serie A. The feeling that your Como was “Il Como”.
Gattei: We were a group of friends. A particular synergy. When we went to deal with players, there were always at least two of us going to avoid one of them getting into a fight. But it wasn’t control, it was sharing.
Can this Como match you?
I hope so. But making comparisons is really impossible. Everything has changed. Only the memories remain.
Precisely.
Meanwhile we made the fortune of Como, but also of Atalanta and Sampdoria…
In what sense, sorry?
In the sense that if Atalanta has become what it is today, it owes it to Mino Favini, our prophet of the youth sector. Once the president of Atalanta, after a defeat against us, asked what the secret was of Como who was always up there. They told him that one of the secrets was him. They courted him mercilessly. And they took him.
And Sampdoria?
We were very close to Vialli and Mancini, this is the truth. Cremonese, for Vialli, would have wanted half of Borgonovo’s card, and we didn’t accept, because Borgo was more highly rated at that moment. Mancini, on the other hand, we had been following him since Bologna’s spring and had made an attempt. Gone to waste. So, when we became familiar with Mantovani, president of Sampdoria, we advised him to take Vialli and Mancini. Well, that was good advice…
You had a good relationship with Sampdoria.
We liked Mantovani as a person, he was a correct person who you could talk to well. In the end we gave him Invernizzi, Galia, Matteoli, Mannini… But the best happened with Vierchowod.
Stories…
Inter had made a proposal: 700 million, in two tranches of 350 million over two years. But then he added a clause to the contract: if the player didn’t perform well, we would have to return the first 350 million and take the player back. Were they crazy? Then the deal fell through. Mantovani contacted us, and on the way to the interview, Pozzi told me, half seriously and half jokingly: we ask for two billion. Mantovani turned pale, and we thought he was telling us to go to hell. Instead he said: at least give a small discount, let’s make at least a billion and eight. This time we blanched… And we told him, a little embarrassed, but to keep the point, that we should have informed the others about the council, and that we had to make a phone call. We went downstairs to pretend we were looking for a phone. Pozzi and I looked at each other strangely. We went back up saying that they had given us the ok, despite the discount granted. But, obviously, we hadn’t made any phone calls…
Other missed opportunities?
Zola. They asked us for 250 thousand lire. But Favini got in the way because, and he was right, we were already rich in talent in that role, Matteoli, Notaristefano, Didonè… We let it go.
And the coaches?
At a certain point Bianchi called us on retreat, he wouldn’t have continued working if we hadn’t brought the contract to sign. A little stiff, although that would be normal today. Then a handshake was enough. But at the end of the season we remembered that thing and changed. Mondonico was too friendly with the players. Once, while I was on the bench, Mattei told him to go to hell. I was stunned. Then they explained to me that there was an atmosphere of camaraderie between the players and the coach. I didn’t like it. I told him we wouldn’t confirm it and he brought up the vipers issue. Marchesi and Burgnich were my favorites. Great coaches and great men. However, Marchesi returned from his experience with Juventus and was no longer the same. Agroppi, Clagluna and Valdinoci, however, were not brilliant.
At a certain point she resigned.
We were relegated to C. There was dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the fans had made a mess in Cesena during the play-off, and I argued with the fan leaders and from there they challenged me. One day I went to the stadium with my 8 year old son, and they told me all sorts of things. He looked at me in the car and said: but dad, you’re the president and they insult you? Why are you there? And so I resigned. The transfer? I was close to giving in to the famous film producer Bonivento, but he would only buy in B. Then Beretta came back knocking and the story ended.
The one that started it all.
We entered a society where there was a lot of division. The Tragni group, then Beretta, Porro, Mastrangelo… One day Pozzi arrives in my office and says: Tito, I’ve done the math, we have the majority and we didn’t even realize it! I asked Beretta if he wanted to be president, but he didn’t want to. And then I did it.
Have you seen Marotta president of Inter?
I met him in Varese for a player negotiation. He was good because he was constructive. I’m not surprised he got there.
And the stadium?
Good game. Once some French arrived who wanted to make a car park under the Sinigaglia, build a hotel above it and move the stadium out of the city. The conversations are always the same. Let’s see how it ends.
