New Floriana chief Riccardo Gaucci tells Kevin Azzopardi that his consortium wants to give the ailing club an “eternal life”
Floriana have been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent months but the election of Riccardo Gaucci as president has instilled hope among their long-suffering fans that the young Italian will bring a semblance of stability to the club.
Gaucci’s interest in Floriana surfaced a few months ago with speculation going into overdrive at the start of this month when former president Steve Vaughan Jr stepped down following a rift with the committee over the way the club’s finances were being handled.
The word at the time was that the resignation of Vaughan, who has since filed a €100,000 lawsuit against the club, had smoothed the way for Gaucci to take control but the journey was anything but straightforward as the Italian’s consortium was only endorsed by the club members after beating strong competition from a rival group headed by English marketing expert Mike Farnan and Dubai-based investor Medi Tozar.
Gaucci may be a household surname in Italian football as his father is Luciano Gaucci, the former owner of Perugia while Riccardo himself served as president of Catania between 1999 and 2003, but the new Floriana chief is still something of an unknown quantity in local football circles.
Although Gaucci’s link-up with Floriana is his first venture into Maltese football, Gaucci already has a sound knowledge of the local game.
“The first time I had a conversation about Maltese football was two years ago when I was having lunch with Mauro Di Lello in Rome,” Gaucci, 37, told Times of Malta.
“We were discussing other things but, out of the blue, I asked Mauro to tell me what he thinks of Maltese football and his reply aroused my curiosity.
“That’s how it all started. Since then I’ve visited Malta 50 times in the last 18 months.”
After scouring the local football landscape, Gaucci set his sights on Floriana.
“My discussions with Floriana began over three months ago,” Gaucci said.
“In the meantime, I’ve watched many domestic games to gauge the level of the Premier League and that of Floriana.
“We had to try and find the right team and we identified Floriana, also thanks to the help we received from our Maltese friends who have local football at heart.
“It was they who directed us to this club. We have also been working hand-in-hand with the other collaborators who are flying to Malta tomorrow (today).
“Self-sustainability is the buzz word in football and that’s what we want for Floriana but we also know that it’s almost impossible to achieve this in modern football.
“In Italy, Udinese know how to do it because they have a sound transfer policy but the big clubs, Milan, Juventus and even Fiorentina, spend a lot of money.
“Our objective is to give an eternal life to a club like Floriana FC, also with the input of the other investors. The project (to develop the Independence Arena) is subject to government approval but if we don’t get going, we will never know if these plans will come to fruition.
“Floriana FC deserve this. It’s a project that will create jobs and transform the stadium area.”
Gaucci’s association with one of the country’s prominent clubs has also elicited the usual dose of scepticism amid concerns about the increasing number of foreign investors who are reportedly willing to take charge of local clubs.
“We didn’t come here to take money from this club, that’s for sure,” Gaucci replied when asked about his motives.
“In the past, people poured money into the squad to do business but when they realised that this was not possible, they left and asked to have their money back.
“We certainly don’t agree with this. We’re here to do football based on our experience.
“I will be in charge of the footballing side while the other partners will oversee the construction and commercial aspects.
“My focus is on the present rather than the future. We must restore serenity.
“A tranquil environment is crucial but I haven’t seen this at Floriana in the last few months.
“The players have not been paid for several months and this is having a disruptive effect. The results have not been good but the club didn’t have the power to intervene.
“It’s not a technical or tactical issue, the problems are clearly economical. The situation doesn’t allow the team to enter the field in a positive frame of mind.
“I don’t think the coach is to blame for the team’s struggles. The same goes for the players. The uncertainty around the club was a big factor and most of the fans also blame these circumstances for the team’s plight.”
Gaucci went to great lengths to emphasise that his inbred interest in football administration was the main motivation behind his successful bid to take charge of Floriana.
“I’ve made it clear to everyone,” Gaucci said. “I was born in a footballing family. I also love futsal.
“My father spent several years in football. He was the president of a number of clubs.
“I was the president of Catania between 1999 and 2003 and that was a defining experience for me.
“Since I was very close to my father, I was able to be part of the councils of other clubs. My family owned five clubs, including Perugia, Catania, Viterbese and Sambenedettese.
“With the five-a-side club of Perugia, we won successive promotions from Serie C1 to Serie A and also won the top-division title and the Super Cup.”
Gaucci is willing to invest in up-and-coming players.
“Our observers in Italy have discovered many young, promising players in the lower divisions who went on to make a name in the Serie A,” Gaucci said.
“There have been many... (Marco) Materazzi, (Fabio) Liverani, (Gennaro) Gattuso and (Fabio) Grosso.
“The Italy team that won the 2006 World Cup had three of our players, Grosso, Gattuso and Materazzi.
“Our philosophy for Floriana is the same. As I told the members, we will not be signing the Maradonas, Zicos or Peles.
“We will only get players who can give a serious contribution to the club, those that have the hunger and are prepared to give their all for the club after being carefully monitored by our staff.”
Although Gaucci can’t reinforce the squad immediately, he has already moved to strengthen the club’s medical set-up.
“In the next few days, we will significantly increase our medical staff,” he revealed.
“The club doctor will remain but we are recruiting new people.
“The medical side is the basis of any sport. Athletes who suffer injuries must be looked after properly.
“We have already started discussions with an Italian company for the supply of medical equipment.”
Stadium project
Off the field, Gaucci’s consortium have already prepared the designs for the development of the Independence Arena.
“We will present our plans to those who must decide,” Gaucci said.
“The ground project will help to regenerate the whole area while giving Floriana a proper home.
“The football pitches will be upgraded. We also have plans to build a shopping complex with underlying parking facilities, subject to approval.
“This will be the true engine of Floriana.”
The arrival of a new boss usually causes apprehension among employees but Gaucci stressed his willingness to give the Floriana players and technical personnel a fair chance to prove their worth.
“I was only 23 when I became president of Catania,” Gaucci said.
“The people inside the club were afraid because normally, when a new boss comes in, he brings his own people and gets rid of the old ones.
“There were about eight employees at Catania but upon taking charge, I reassured them that I had no intention to dismiss them.
“What I did tell them was that they had to do their job well because they were under examination. They all remained at the club.
“The Floriana coach (Ian Dawes) will stay and we will support him all the way.”
Floriana are facing a fight to keep their Premier League status after sliding into the Relegation Pool. The Greens, only three points clear of the relegation zone, face Qormi on Saturday.
“Premier League survival is our target,” Gaucci said. “After that we will see.
“If we manage to put our ideas into practice, we can aim higher but this will not happen overnight. We need two to three years.”
Di Lello, the former Lazio youth player who had spells with Pietá Hotspurs, Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara during his playing career, is expected to be appointed director general of Floriana in the coming days.
“Mauro’s experience of Maltese football helped a lot... it was fundamental,” Gaucci said.
For his part, Di Lello is thrilled to be part of Gaucci’s new leadership team at Floriana.
“During our initial conversations about Maltese football back in Rome, I was pleased to see that Riccardo shared my enthusiasm to do something here,” Di Lello said.
“I spent seven seasons here. Malta is my second home.
“I hope that we’re capable of reaching the objectives Riccardo and I set when we met for the first time.
“Working in Malta gives me great satisfaction and I’m prepared to do my best to achieve our aims.”