«Basketball is growing, it will conquer Fazio on Nove»- Corriere.it

Milan and Bologna, the two capitals of Italian basketball that have a governor, Umberto Gandini, a life in football, 26 years at Milan, high school, university, a master’s degree to finish in free teaching, a professorship granted for merits acquired by Adriano Galliani, his mentor in his managerial career, which reached the temporary epilogue, you never know what could happen in the future, in the world of football, as managing director of Rome, managed by Pallotta. One fine day the former owner of the Giallorossi club summoned Gandini, who had produced excellent results, also giving him a more solid European image, and told him that his experience at Roma was over. One door closes and another opens wide for Umberto Gandini, that of the Serie A basketball league. Intelligent, he knows how to stay in his place, he also knows that the president of the Republic of baskets is Gianni Petrucci, senator for life, the first to support Gandini in his basketball government. But every now and then Petrucci attacks it, makes controversy: why does this happen? «But he doesn’t attack me…» smiles Gandini.

Excuse me, who attacks the federal president if not you when you argue with the League?
«Petrucci feels the need to reaffirm the central role of the Federation, the territorial boundaries of Italian basketball, which no one, me first and foremost, wants to question. Under federal delegation, the League organizes the Serie A championship, there is no doubt that the protagonists are the 16 clubs that drive the movement with their investments».

The Milan-Bologna championship final has been repeated for three years: limit or exaltation of Italian basketball?
«It brought basketball back to the center of the sports village, it had a great echo on every means of communication, I spoke to various managers who confirmed to me the attractiveness of this final, so spectacular, a long challenge, even in seven acts , shortened for the future to five on the will mainly of the federation and the various protagonists. They confided in me that negotiations with some sponsors, in the days of the championship finals, gained strength and took off».

There are those who think that Milan-Bologna is a discounted and repetitive menu.
«Not only is it not my opinion, but the data, the numbers, the television audience, the results of the social networks, reveal a completely different truth. Not only that, three events of the basketball league have had three different winners this season, this is called alternation: the Super Cup in Bologna, the Italian Cup in Brescia and the Scudetto in Milan. I would add: at a European level, in Spain, Greece and Serbia, these are just three examples, it is always the usual suspects who contend for the national titles».

Does this mean that the richest always win?
«The budget helps, no doubt. The teams that make up the Euroleague, for example Milan and Bologna, have a greater team depth and a consequent superior technical quality to the other teams».

The managements of Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna opposed his confirmation at the helm of the League last summer.
«It’s true, my re-election received the consent of 14 clubs out of 16, the vote against from Milan and the abstention from Bologna. I consider it a success.”

Ok, but how did she take it?
“I was a little disappointed, I admit it, but it is part of the normal dialectic of a sports institution like the League”.

Is this what the Milan school taught you?
“I’m following Silvio Berlusconi’s recommendation: that of being concave or convex depending on the situation”.

What does he want, what does he expect from his League in the future?
“Italian basketball is growing, and will continue to grow, in terms of revenues and movement: I work constantly to ensure that basketball plays an important and relevant match in Italian sport”.

Where do you need to improve?
«In plant engineering: there are important signals on the private sector, but not yet at the state level».

Basketball and TV a relationship that needs to progress.
«Also in this respect the data is increasing, I am referring to the work carried out by Discovery, DMax in the clear and by pay Eleven-Dazn. The product is excellent: let’s see what happens in the next tender».

Fabio Fazio has arrived in Nove, will he bring basketball to him?
“I’m thinking about it, hopefully, in the next few days I will have a meeting with the management of Discovery”.