GENOA - "I'll miss his wisdom. I'll miss his passion. His passion for sport and his sense of duty. Put simply, I'll miss him." It's 9 pm (yesterday evening) when Massimo Moratti hears the news that Riccardo Garrone has passed away.
The Inter president breaks off from dinner, delves into his memories and finds "the smiles and words of a friend". The words don't come to him immediately, "because that's what happens when you lose somebody you've been through a lot with, a good travel companion. Your memories become sadness. It's painful, you know? Truly, deeply painful."
You can sense it from the tone of his voice, his broken words, his eyes. "You probably think we were united by our jobs as presidents and oilmen. Well, you're wrong, we were united by other things: like me, he too was a president and a fan rolled into one."
Moratti, who was Riccardo Garrone to you?
"A friend who had the same problems as me."
Which are?
"He invested – a lot – to make the team he loved successful. It's a risk, and not only for yourself, but you sense it's something you have to do. And like me, he set out on this adventure because of a sense of duty. We spoke about it. He had his doubts – the sort of doubts that in a man with less courage and determination would have turned into fears. Instead they became a great challenge."
What sense of duty?
"Duty to stop the team of his city, the team that he and his family loved, from being erased from footballing history, from the heart of Genoa. I felt that calling too, the sense of duty, the family belonging, a few years earlier. So I followed in the footsteps of my father and his Inter. And I have this image that I will always keep in my heart, to help me remember just how special the Garrone family's Sampdoria was and will remain."
Can you show that image to us?
"It's my friend Riccardo, sitting in the stadium in Genoa, cigar in his mouth, hat on his head. I look at him for just a moment, I hug him, and then I look at his family beside him. That's Riccardo at the stadium, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. That's how I'll always remember him and I hope that's how lots of other people will remember him as well."
Presidents and oilmen: never against each other?
"We had two refineries, obviously we both worked on the same markets, and in competition too, but never against each other. There was always room for everyone, as long as you know how to let go of greed. Riccardo was never greedy and I hope I'm not either, but that's for others to judge."
Presidents and fans: never against each other? When Garrone took the club back up into Serie A, in June 2003, he took a few pot shots at some of his counterparts. Yourself included...
[Smiling] "I remember that, he said I was crazy. And perhaps he wasn't totally wrong. Friends can criticise each other and even argue, but then they think about the advice they've been given. That's how it went with us two as well. And now, a few years on, it's clear for everyone to see: crazy spending in football is a thing of the past. Money could have killed the real passion. For me football is about passion. It was the same for Riccardo and it will be the same for his son Edoardo and the rest of the family."
Did you used to speak often?"We spoke a couple of weeks back, I can't even remember why but there probably wasn't a specific reason. That's how it goes with friends. I enjoyed having chats with him. We shared our passion for football of course, but many other things too. We would talk about all sorts: culture, politics, the state of affairs in our cities, Genoa and Milan. I liked that ability he had to listen and then give you a straight-up reply. And he was extremely responsive. He would listen carefully, think about it, then if needed and it was better not to wait he'd get straight to the heart of the problem. He was wise and he stayed young until his last day."
Garrone hated all the transfer rumours, and apart from a few exceptions he wasn't overly fond of agents. You on the other hand are always heavily involved in transfer dealings. Would you say that was at least one thing in which you were different?
"Come on, be serious. I see it exactly the same way Riccardo did. And you know what? We even used to joke about it. Sometimes we saw things that in our professional lives - in the oil industry - would have made us livid. But in football they were softened by our passion for Inter and Sampdoria."
What does Italian football inherit from Garrone?"Passion, a rare privilege. The passion that can only come from a strong and sensitive individual. He was a brilliant and sober visionary."
And what does Italian football politics inherit from him?
"The same thing and I'll explain why. Sampdoria and Inter have been on the same side once again regarding recent events in the Lega Calcio. It's not a battle, it's not a power battle. It's just that we want to reiterate the principles we believe in: that football should be about honesty and passion. Edoardo will carry that forward and I will always be beside him. Friends don't abandon each other."
Giampiero Timossi (taken from Il
Secolo XI)
