Catanzaro better than Naples, who is the Noto patron who wants to bring him back to Serie A – Corriere.it

The man of large-scale distribution in Calabria, owner of the Az Group, is also making “his” Catanzaro Calcio great. floriano Noto, engineer, 64, is one of the giants of the southern economy. And, while the large American holdings have taken possession of many Italian A and B big clubs, with the aim of profit, the Calabrian Florindo Noto has put his hand in his wallet to buy a company that in the past has sailed in bad waters not only economic, having suffered the shame of relegation from B to C and a sports investigation from which he emerged unscathed.

Jump to Serie B

This year, for Catanzaro, leaders of group C of Serie C, it could be the right year to make the leap to Serie B. The numbers up to now show that coach Vincenzo Vivarini’s Giallorossi are the team of records: beating Giugliano 3-0 on Wednesday they obtained their 14th victory in the league (only two draws and no defeats), even bettering Spalletti’s Napoli (13 wins and 2 draws in Serie A). Florindo Noto wanted to tie his story as a successful entrepreneur to the football fate of Catanzaro, which has now become his city, since he was born in Albi, a small town of 1000 souls, 20 kilometers away from the capital. The passion for football and, above all, the mirage of being able one day to become the owner of his favorite team, came true in 2017. An important year for the Noto family which in those months linked its commercial activities to the largest groups in the sector: Auchan, Sidis, up to the point of constituting the Coop Alliance, together with the Coop group. A story that of the Notos, born 40 years ago when, in Catanzaro, the first Az supermarket was born, thanks to the intuition of Commendatore Leonetto, Florindo’s father.

Before the group

The economic solidity of his empire – 250 million in annual turnover – 39 points of sale of which 28 are direct and 11 in franchises – has certainly given breathing space and guarantees to the company which, with the summer purchases of Iannello (a past in Serie A with Sassuolo, Ghion a median owned by Sassuolo who is talked about very well and Jari Vandeputte, are making Catanzaro great.The team first in the standings keeps Crotone by six points and Pescara by 9. LViviani’s training is a goal machine: 45 scored and only 6 conceded. Beyond his football skills, the Noto knight has put his trademark inside the corporate structure, putting balance sheets back in order and bringing large numbers of people back to the stands – the Ceravolo is almost always full – bringing back the enthusiasm in the city that you could see it from the time of Nicola Ceravolo, the legendary president who brought the “eagles” to Serie A. Those were the times of Palanca, Mauro and Ranieri. Florindo Noto is an entrepreneur who has done a lot for Calabria. In 2004 he was awarded the “Calabrese illustre nel mondo” award, and a year later he was awarded the “Calabria 2005” gold medal precisely for the attention he showed towards this land. His past, far from sporting dynamics, speaks of him as an entrepreneur who has climbed and achieved extraordinary goals also in Confindustria.

Entrepreneurship and solidarity

In fact, he was president of the Catanzaro Industrial Association (1999) and an elective member of the national board of Confindustria Rome and a member of the “Mediterranean Committee”. His name is also linked to the academic world. In 2004 he was appointed member of the Scientific Research Planning and Planning Council of the Legal Sciences Department of the University of Calabria. And also to solidarity. To deal with the Covid emergency the company headed by Noto, Az, has allocated 200 thousand euros to be donated to Calabrian hospitals. Today, however, his name is closely connected to the deeds of Catanzaro Calcio. Who wants to bring to Serie A at all costs. The premises are there, just as the aspirations of the company of the president Noto seem to materialize. A large stadium, all new that can also be the pride of the city. There are many difficulties for this project to come true. But they are also linked to Catanzaro’s category leap. The old “Ceravolo” is not up to standard to compete in B races. An overall restructuring should be done. One more reason to think about imagining a new structure. Florindo Noto’s stubbornness is one more weapon to see the dream come true. Charles Macri