Sampdoria patron Massimo Ferrero was his usual outlandish self, praising and criticising the other Serie A Presidents.
Sampdoria patron Massimo Ferrero was his usual outlandish self, praising and criticising the other Serie A Presidents.
The patron spoke to the Corriere dello Sport and answered questions sent in by fans in a lengthy interview.
Ferrero commented on the tension in the Lega Serie A between Juventus President Andrea Agnelli and Lazio chief Claudio Lotito, which he saw as a class issue.
“Juve are Juve, they have the supremacy and they feel that… I am the son of a train driver, while he is the son of someone who built the Fiat company. Lotito is a self-made man and he tends to irritate people by throwing a spanner in the works. He also wants to ensure he is talked about and remembered in the history of football.
“Agnelli wants to take everything for himself and leave nothing for the rest, which is not acceptable. There ought to be more balance, including in the distribution of TV rights.”
Like Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis, Ferrero went into football late in life after a career in film production.
“I have a great rapport with De Laurentiis, as I’ve known him since he was a kid. Aurelio has an exceptional mind, but he’s a bit tired of this football. He’s like me: he always wants to win, but he doesn’t listen. On the other hand, Lotito pretends not to listen.
“I like Genoa President Preziosi, as he’s a child in an adult body. Galliani is hilarious, a good person and I think he has fun too. I don’t know Della Valle, but if he created that empire, then he must be a genius.
“Zamparini marches to the beat of his own drum, so interpret that any way you like. He does the drumming and if he doesn’t like the way it sounds, he gets angry with whoever is recording it… He says I don’t understand football? He might be right, but if Zamparini was such a genius then he would’ve won something by now. Instead he’s looking for a Mexican investor to buy Palermo.”
Ferrero also blasted Torino President Urbano Cairo, who he accused of not donating the agreed-upon funds for ALS research.
The Sampdoria patron was deferred to the Disciplinary Commission for making a racist joke about Inter’s Indonesian President Erick Thohir.
“If I had told Moratti to ignore that Frenchman instead of Filipino, would it have been ok? In any case, I salute all Filipinos around the world!”