LATINA - Massimo Moratti was handed the 'Premio Mecenate dello Sport - Varaldo di Pietro' award at the A.Cafaro theatre in Latina this evening. During the ceremony conducted by Enrico Varriale, the honorary president answered questions from the journalists up on stage (Il Sole 24 Ore's Marco Bellinazzo, winner of a prize for economics journalism, ANSA's Pier Carlo Presutti and Giancarlo Laurenzi, deputy editor of Il Messaggero).
The first part of this Patron prize is for Inter, but can we say the second part is for Inter Campus?
"The first part I saw as my duty. The other part – and perhaps you shouldn't really say this but I'll admit it – I'm proud of, because it gives you instant joy. It has been and still is a wonderful thing because when you work in those places you see the immense happiness on the faces of those children and families. You see that they really are proud to be part of Inter. It brings joy to my children too who are continuing to follow its development. Hopefully it will go on, and I'm sure it will."
The first part of this Patron prize is for Inter, but can we say the second part is for Inter Campus?
"The first part I saw as my duty. The other part – and perhaps you shouldn't really say this but I'll admit it – I'm proud of, because it's something that gives you instant joy. It has been and still is a wonderful thing because when you work in those places you see the immense happiness on the faces of those children and families. You see that they really are proud to be part of Inter. It brings joy to my children too, who are continuing to follow its development. Hopefully it will go on, and I'm sure it will."
Will there be any more patrons of sport like yourself, who spent...?
"Let's forget about how much it was! [smiling]. But there will be, yes. I think changes are always positive. You can see here in Latina how important having a football team doing well is for everything else around it. But it's not that once you take the step you forget about everything else. It's more than that. There will be other patrons, or people you might call that, meaning an individual who wants to take risks. There's a lot of criticism of family businesses but then people realise how important the family is."
Is it right to say you're in love with football and with Mourinho?
"Mourinho, yes theoretically you might be right in thinking that it was the pinnacle. Unfortunately after Mourinho it was hard to move on and think about how to reach that pinnacle again, for Benitez too."
What about Simeone?
"He's always been a good coach – he was already that when he was still playing. I could say the same of Cambiasso."
Who will you be rooting for tonight?
"Simeone obviously represents Inter in a small way but I'm fortunate now in that I'm a bit more removed from it all, so I can do a little less supporting... [smiling]."
Why is Italian football so far behind in financial terms?
"It's never easy to analyse things when you're in the middle of it, if I can say that of myself, but what I can say is that Italian football has been the expression of Italy itself, family Italy, so the financial side was less important for some people, while others had to run to keep up and not get left behind. And that's kind of what I did. What happens nowadays? If you're not in the Champions League, you're cut out from it."
Where do you think you got it really wrong?
"The commercial side – knowing how to sell the club worldwide. We were much more focused on the footballing side of things and even those who worked on it were more worried about showing the owner that they were focused on that. I do believe however – because I have confidence in Italians – that the difficult period we're going through at the moment makes you adopt a very careful approach, but also, crucially, it makes you use your imagination more and take more risks."
Is Thohir the right person to sell the Inter brand around the world?
"Yes, if nothing else he's not Italian [smiling]! I saw Thohir as the right person because he could instantly bring in an entire market that we would have taken four or five years to build. And from a business point of view it's normal to start with the accounts – something which I didn't do – and I think he's someone who wants to do that. It will be very important for him to surround himself with people who keep tabs on things for him. He's an honest, smart individual. I can confidently say to Inter fans that they needn't worry."
In an interview he gave this morning, president Thohir suggested that people like himself and Pallotta can radically change the face of Italian football.
"No, Thohir knows how to go about things, but it's normal, something has to be changed."
He does need to make Inter healthy though?
"Thohir was the best choice. I don't really like it when he or anyone else says 'make Inter healthy' because there's nothing about Inter that is unhealthy: Inter has always covered its debts, the purchase of players and their wages without depending on anyone else. Now there's another person who I hope will continue that, perhaps spending a little less than I did."
Is it true that you were interested in buying Cagliari?
"No, no."
Would you buy Latina?
"I think Latina are doing pretty well at the moment already, aren't they? [joking]"
Is football a reflection of the quality of the city it represents? Are AC Milan and Inter creaking because Milan is?
"It may be a coincidence but precisely because Latina has been very successful I'd say that is the case: when the team starts achieving things, everything else connected to it picks up too. It's about confidence and I say that wishing Latina the very best. As for Milan, I don't know. Perhaps there are fewer business families now, but going by what I said earlier I could say you don't need so many... Thohir, who I believe is the best man possible, obviously has to make sure he maintains that bond between the team and the city. And that's another reason why I keep saying Zanetti needs to have an important role."
Would it have been better to accept offers for some of the players after the Treble?
"Four years on, I must say that Inter's best players were those who won the treble. I've watched Inter v Bayern again, and seeing it again I realised just how well Milito played that whole game. It was suggested that Milito could have been sold, but how could you sell the player who won you the title and the Champions League? You can't sell him, not if you think about all the people who cheered for him alongside you."
What do you think of Balotelli? And when he threw his shirt to the ground?
"He's an irascible guy. Throwing that shirt was a consequence of the period he was going through, he didn't feel appreciated. He's basically a good lad. As a president, football teaches you to be patient, and I think players learn that too because they come in for criticism, and it's always unfair in their view. Balotelli reacts to the accusations. If he can reel that in, he'll be successful."
Your most inspired move and your biggest mistake as president? [A voice from the crowd suggests Recoba]
"Yes, that's right, he was an inspired signing. As for the mistakes, I'd say it was with coaches, lots of times. Gasperini? No, let's not name names. I rate them all, just sometimes they weren't right for Inter."
Did Ronaldo reach his peak at Inter?
"Yes, he was an inspired signing because everyone thought he was incredibly expensive but he didn't seem like it to me, and besides anything else we got it all back."
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