Torino patron Urbano Cairo admits he “could’ve fired Sinisa Mihajlovic earlier” and sees “confusion” in the race for a new FIGC President.
Mihajlovic was sacked following a Coppa Italia exit to Juventus earlier this month and Walter Mazzarri won on his debut.
Torino patron Urbano Cairo admits he “could’ve fired Sinisa Mihajlovic earlier” and sees “confusion” in the race for a new FIGC President.
Mihajlovic was sacked following a Coppa Italia exit to Juventus earlier this month and Walter Mazzarri won on his debut.
“I had a good personal rapport with Mihajlovic, but he had a daily rapport with (director Gianluca) Petrachi. So rather than complain I didn’t call him, he should instead have said that I could’ve fired him two months earlier and I didn’t,” Cairo told Radio 24.
“At the end of the day, I won’t say it was a failure, but Mihajlovic did not get the results we expected with a team that had such consensus last year.
“There’s no point complaining about VAR or anything like that. Ultimately, if you have the capability of playing to win with a good team, the results do come.
“He should remember that I defended him for 18 months and could’ve fired him earlier.”
Cairo was also asked about the January 29 election for FIGC President, which is now between four candidates: Damiano Tommasi, Claudio Lotito, Gabriele Gravina and Cosimo Sibilia.
“I don’t think we’ve made big steps forward. There is confusion at the moment, but that is what breeds renewal. I saw it in businesses that I took over when they were doing badly.
“I am optimistic that we can do well. OK, we’re not going to the World Cup, but Serie A is currently one of the most entertaining leagues.”
The candidate backed by 12 Serie A clubs is Lazio President Lotito, who had worked very closely with former FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio.
“Lotito cannot represent novelty. He’s a good President of his team and a businessman, but to be a Federation President you need other attitudes that he doesn’t possess.
“I admire Tommasi, he’s a reliable guy. I don’t know if he might contribute to improving things. Perhaps we could vote for a former player who has those managerial capabilities needed to be a good FIGC President.”