Exclusively on TN, the former Granata striker speaks again, closely analyzing Sunday’s protest by the Granata people
Andrea Calderoni Central Editor-in-Chief
August 29, 2024 (edit August 29, 2024 | 06:31)
Fatty Graziani he is the man of difficult moments. The last time he spoke exclusively on Toro News, the Granata club was experiencing the complicated management of the Nkoulou case. Today, Torino is coming off one of the most heated protests in recent years, that of Sunday against president Urbano Cairo. Toro News has therefore decided to rely on an absolute authority in the Granata world to analyze a complex situation, certainly mitigated by the excellent victory of the Vanoli team against Atalanta.
Good morning Francesco. What do you think of the mass protest on Sunday?“The sale of Bellanova shook the fans’ spirits because he was a key figure in the team, like Zapata, Ilic, Ricci. You sell Buongiorno, then you sell Bellanova five days before the end of the transfer window, it’s fair to heat things up. However, what’s to come is always important: if you sell Bellanova and you finish seventh, what does Bellanova matter? Everything revolves around the competitiveness of the team. After all, you’ve started well. In Milan you were caught in the 89th minute, at home against Atalanta you won. If the morning is a good indicator of the day, then you’re already well on your way and I can almost think that the protest was out of place. However, I fully understand the feelings of the people who took to the streets the other day because I too was very surprised by the news of Bellanova’s sale. I’ll add one thing if I may.”
Yes, please.“Let’s not get attached to the players anymore, we’ve understood by now that they come and go. Let’s think about the team and what it can give us during the season.”
The sale of Bellanova seemed like the straw that broke the camel’s back and the fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the 19 long years of Cairo’s management. Can it be interpreted in this way?“The first thing we should say to Cairo is thank you, then we can discuss everything else. With him we had disastrous years and good years. The fan wants more, it’s part of the game. The fan wants to get what Fiorentina, Lazio, Bologna can achieve, that is, teams within our reach, with which we can relate. We can’t put ourselves close to Juventus, Milan, Inter. I agree that the Granata club can work better so that they can give more joy to the fans. Europe, after all, has been missing for too many years”.
Was it reasonable to expect something more from Ivan Juric’s three years?“In my opinion, yes. But then, if I carefully evaluate the coach’s words between the lines, I understand how he would have wanted stronger players to aspire to something more important. And if you don’t take good players, it’s difficult to make a team more competitive than the others. Last season we weren’t a bad team and we came close to Europe. I would add that president Cairo has always been very honest in his management. His first objective has always been the budget and he has never betrayed his thoughts. Fiorentina is also being contested at the moment, even though Commisso has built a wonderful sports center and the Viola has played three finals in recent years. Even in Florence the fans want more. This example is to say that satisfying the fans is not easy”.
I try to press her. A segment of the Granata people is asking Cairo to pass the baton and put Toro up for sale. Would you see a Torino without Cairo in 2025?“I don’t know who could take responsibility. Let’s get it into our heads that Toro belongs to Cairo and if he wants to remain president of Torino out of passion, support or interests, no one can force him to sell. The fan can only say one thing: as long as you are president, I will not come to the stadium anymore. And then we need to see another thing: who are the buyers? Is there anyone who can put a reasonable amount on the table to buy Toro? It’s useless to discuss Cairo, Toro is his. If buyers arrive, it can be done but if he doesn’t put it up for sale, you can’t force a person to sell a company that is his. I repeat and repeat. The fans have a weapon: don’t go to the stadium. The worst protest against a company is not verbal, but attendance. If there are always 15-20 thousand people at the stadium, what protest comes out of it in the end? Yes, some insults but not very productive. If there are 4 people at the stadium, then a president asks himself a few questions and understands that something is no longer right. The best protest is to no longer participate in the life of a society.”
Let’s talk about the field. First judgment on Che Adams?“A lot. He has a Toro approach, he commits, fights and pushes, even if it’s early to judge. He seemed like the first Belotti to me. Toro seems to have signed another excellent striker. And in attack Torino is at the top with Sanabria, Zapata and Adams. Many other teams don’t have such a strong attack, Roma for example can look with envy at the Granata attack”.
Pellegri to Empoli: Is it the right move?“Pellegri has had his day at Toro: I’m really sorry. He’s the player who most resembles me, but he’s more stuck in the pits than on the pitch. He has incredible muscular fragility. For the rest, there’s no question: the player is strong.”