Press Conference: Sebastiano Stella and Alex Menta
In the late morning today, CEO Sebastiano Stella and the GM of the sporting side, Alex Menta, attended a press conference at the club’s headquarters. An opportunity to review the current season and look ahead to the next and the future of the club in a broader sense.
Sebastiano Stella:
"During this period, we conducted a thorough analysis, receiving many insights from both the media and the fans. Starting from scratch, we found ourselves in a situation where the club was essentially bankrupt, with, among other things, thirty-three enforcement orders already in place. The financial picture turned out to be much more complex than anticipated; the effort to balance the accounts inherited from the two previous ownerships was twice as much as initially estimated. We're talking about 18 million euros for a year in Serie C, with expenses for each away game ranging from fifteen to twenty thousand euros, not to mention the missed revenue at Stadio Rocco and the money from Serie C, that has been doing a great job, but then has to distribute everything among sixty clubs. At the same time, the sporting side made a tremendous effort in a very short time to assemble a competitive team, choosing a certain type of coach and squad.
In this overall picture, there were circumstances that didn't allow the business side of the club to put the sporting side in the best conditions to be comfortable. Why? Because the team never played at home, with thirty-three away matches. Any club, at any level with significant ambitions, first focuses on the team and tries to isolate it to get the best out of it. Due to external factors, this wasn't possible. For a first year, I consider it an eight, considering where we started. I remember at the beginning of the season the conversation with friends who handed us the logo, telling us that to achieve the playoffs, it would be enough for them not to suffer like the previous year. We reached the round of sixteen and were eliminated because we hit four posts; if even just two of those had gone in, we wouldn't be here for this press conference today.
When we parted ways with Tesser, it certainly wasn't a decision made to avoid going to Serie B. At that time, we had thirteen points in nine games, and I repeat what I said a few months ago, on the field, I didn’t like what I saw. So, I don't even attribute the initial negative streak of five losses to Bordin; in a sense, Tesser was done a favor because with a series of negative results, maybe the public wouldn't have said anything, but it wouldn't have been nice for him. No club, unless for a genuinely believed motivation, fire a coach who has a certain cost and is loved by the fans; that would be madness. But we looked at what, in our opinion, was best for the club at that moment.
And at that moment, Bordin was the possible choice, but behind it, there are more substantial and more important choices, focused on the overall and future growth of the club. Letting Tesser go was an extremely complicated decision, not taken lightly, knowing it would bring certain reactions, which, reading some comments on social media, are still ongoing. I hope the emotional inertia carried forward by certain fans stops at some point, not knowing all the dynamics and work behind the scenes. Fans can naturally say whatever they want; the club seeks and will always seek to do its best and needs trust, a trust that I believe has also been repaid. I think of the playoff with Benevento, five thousand people in two days of presale, with a live broadcast on Rai, it's a figure many Serie C teams dream of, a number that can only increase.
To achieve the goals we all desire, we must try to be united, and we must all believe in it. Us, the press, the fans. Then we'll finally get rid of the negative mentality once and for all. We need to draw a line and start again all together; we're a new club that wants to do well, and everyone must think positively because we want to achieve the maximum. If we continue to play the victim a bit, we won't get anywhere. Let's all believe. Because the closer the community is to us, the more energy we feel. Last year, at this time, everyone would have signed up to reach the playoff round of sixteen. Then when expectations are created and they are disappointed, and we had them too, it's the worst. But we're here because we want to say that we're absolutely ready. And if you stand by us, you give us great support.
On behalf of the entire club, I want to thank everyone, the press here who supported us even though at times, of course, they asked for explanations. Thanks to the fans who have been wonderful throughout the season. Saturday night at the final whistle, with the obvious disappointment because we wanted to continue our journey, we said let's start again immediately. We restart with hunger, with determination, with projects that we have carried forward and that continue to progress. Firstly, the renovation of the pitch after thirty years, a situation that if we hadn't pushed for, we wouldn't have achieved. Now we have a pitch that, after a request from us accepted, will be able to host the National Team in the Nations League.
We're going back to the past, bringing back international events to the Rocco, on a pitch that, alongside these appointments, we hope can see a rising Triestina. Let's remember this, a result achieved by this management, with the effort and sacrifice of everyone, including the fans who had to endure the agony of seeing their team away from home for basically the entire season. Several good things have been done, mistakes have also been made because we're not perfect, but we have a great desire to do. We're ready to start again.
As for the sports center, the offer to acquire the land has been made, we're working with the municipality of Muggia which will come out with an announcement in this regard in the coming days. We're moving forward in every respect and no longer looking back; only bureaucracy could stop us, but we're convinced to do it in Montedoro, and we're moving forward. Important steps forward have also been made in managing the Rocco; unfortunately, we're victims of bureaucracy here too, but with the stadium decree, we opened a good channel with the municipality, and if all goes well, an agreement should be reached in a year, for which I am very positive.
During the match against Novara, we had a group of our American partners here as guests, they were particularly impressed by the city and expressed the desire to invest significantly, so the concession stadium and the sports center are two fundamental assets for the Triestina we want to create. It's only been ten months since our arrival, but if we think that in a year there could be the concession of the stadium and the laying of the first stone of the sports center, it would be something incredible. And we're already at the point where everything is heading in that direction”.
Alex Menta:
“We're here to close this season; we obviously made our evaluations, from the first day in early July of last year until today. It's been a season of highs and lows, but overall, we have done well. We inherited a very difficult situation, with burdensome contracts and severe issues from every perspective, which we tried to resolve in the shortest time and best way possible. I believe we built a strong team with many talented players. What was lacking was the team spirit we thought we had found, and I take full responsibility for that. Now we are looking forward, we are energized, and we have all the elements to grow and successfully achieve our goal, which was and remains to be promoted. This is the primary objective, the reason why I am here and why we are all here. Now it is time to look forward and achieve our goals.
We are evaluating both the coaching position, for which I believe we can provide news as early as next week, and the roster, deciding who will stay and who will not. We want to create a team with high intensity, quality, and mentality; we want to win. There was obviously a project for this season, but for several months we have been working on the future, starting from the coming season and beyond. I believe it will be a special season also for our fans; we will return to the Rocco every week, we will have a training field that will allow us not to have to move at certain times to Muggia, Santa Croce, or Visogliano. This year has been really tough; I wouldn’t say a miracle was performed, but with all these difficulties, it was really hard to achieve the best possible result. This does not mean I am not disappointed with the fourth-place finish, quite the opposite. But we have to accept this and move forward.
We are in an amazing city, with an amazing stadium, with an important badge. For these reasons, everyone wants to come here, but we need to evaluate and judge who is the best fit for us, both as a coach and as players. Strong rules and an equally strong program are needed; beyond the technical choices, everyone must be part of the group and respect the rules. If this doesn't happen, you cannot stay here. My responsibility for the next season is to put all the players in the best conditions to give their best. To win, everything should be perfect, and we will create the environment around the club to ensure this happens. And for those who do not have the desire to honor the badge and the city every day, both on and off the field, respecting the rules and following our style of play, there will be no place here. We need to improve in every sense next year, and as Sebastiano said, we must believe in it and push together to achieve our goals. We, you, the fans, we must all push in the same direction".
