Inter’s return to the top level, Stefano Pioli’s performance since taking over, Suning’s impact on Italian football as a whole as well as the controversy regarding the referee after the match against Juventus are some of the topics that FcInterNews spoke to Giacinto Facchetti’s son, Gianfelice, about in an exclusive interview published late last night.
After a slow start, the arrival of Pioli on Inter’s bench has improved the season almost in a magical way.
“This group has become a team. He started collecting results and the team started to express their true potential. We have seen players who have recovered, improved, matured and grown. A cohesion that was not there before, an excellent job from Pioli. Many congratulations to him”.
Also because it came after the disastrous management of Frank De Boer.
“In hindsight, we saw how that change brought on just before the beginning of the championship, didn’t work at all. Everything became very complex and difficult. It would have taken more time for De Boer to get the team to play as he wanted: he found himself in a complicated situation from so many perspectives, especially the language barrier. ”
Suning took that situation on the chin and then hired Pioli. What’s your opinion about the Chinese owners?
“The thing that has impressed is that there have been very few words but many actions from them. Everything has turned into tangible things, like buying Gagliardini. He is one of our best talents and the deal was made quickly. This is a very Milanese way of doing things. An Italian management is not an absolute guarantee of success, just look at how many Italian clubs have blown up in recent years. Suning is proving to be reliable and have clear ideas.”
This recovery by the Nerazzurri, not least at the corporate level, is it scaring the clubs who have been in control in Italy in recent years?
“It is certainly possible that a solid ownership and a team that begins to find continuity of results, gaining the respect on the pitch, can create some friction because it adds to the competition. It is easy to be nice when you are losing. Now there is an ambitious ownership and they are proving themselves with actions. ”
Returning for a moment to the Rizzoli case. Beyond the replays and the analysis, what do you think of the referee’s statements after the match?
“I state that I do not intend to add anything about the match or the referee. But there is one obvious fact: the referees show an unjustified sensetivity these days. A fact that makes you think, especially if you want to make football a product with a certain image. There should be clarity in all roles. These referees should decide whether they want to speak or not speak. Either they speak officially through proper channels or avoid to give interviews on the sidewalk. I find this a frivolous ambiguity: if one is not obliged to give explanations, then do not do it at all. Otherwise, even more so, it is justified to try every way possible to get some clear answers.”
Rizzoli was amazed that Inter raised such a fuss in the media about the replays seen at the Juventus Stadium to get the suspensions of Perisic and Icardi reduced.
“All appeals can lead to reduced suspensions, there is little to be shocked about. It’s not that they were shown images which were fabricated. Remember that not too many years ago, the slow-motion replays were an instrument used by those who tried to distort reality. I say that we should have the courage to speak clearly. I repeat, by doing so, the referees lose credibility. Either speak at the official level, perhaps in a press conference or through a spokesman in a clear, direct, proper way, or just stay silent. ”
Source: Fcinternews.it
