The Granata president celebrates his 20th year at the helm of the club, reflecting on a journey that began with little and transformed into a significant ride for Torino FC.
“These have been twenty years lived with great pathos, emotion, passion, and a desire to do well,” thus Urbano Cairo, president of Torino, began his reflection on Telelombardia, celebrating his two decades at the helm of Toro. The anniversary, which occurred yesterday, was an opportunity to emphasize that “commitment, desire, and investments have never been lacking.” His adventure began on September 2, 2005, a period during which, as Cairo recalls, Toro had seen 7 different presidents in the preceding twenty years and spent 6 out of 10 seasons in Serie B, with three relegations. “This is the Toro I took over,” he stated. At the time, there was talk that two teams could not coexist in Turin, and “certainly it wasn`t the bankrupt Toro” that would enjoy such a privilege.
The Future of Toro
Twenty years have flown by, marked by financial and sporting stability, including the reconstruction of Filadelfia, the establishment of the Robaldo youth center, and a youth sector that has regained strength and winning ways. Furthermore, Toro has been in Serie A for 14 consecutive years. “We have done many good things; it cannot always be the common stereotype that everything is negative,” Cairo stated. For the future, the president has three clear objectives: the first is to acquire ownership of the Stadio Olimpico, a matter he intends to discuss with the mayor of Turin. The second goal is to bring the Toro museum back home, currently located in Grugliasco, within the next two years. Finally, Cairo promises an increasingly competitive team: “Promises are no longer made; what matters is to build the most competitive team possible. If we are here investing and working hard, and this year`s balance sheet will not be profitable, it is because we want to do something better than last year. I work to create a Toro that gives satisfaction to the fans.”
Unforgettable Moments: Memories of Twenty Years
Cairo highlighted three key moments from these two decades. The first, “a great emotion,” was the promotion achieved on June 11, 2006, just nine months and nine days after he became president. “At the beginning, there weren`t even balls; it was a great run we made with De Biasi as coach, and a team put together overnight,” he recalled. The second significant moment was the third season with Ventura, when with eight games left, the team had 39 points. “We made a pact with the coach and players to treat them as 8 finals: we earned 18 points, finished seventh with 57 points, and managed to reach the Europa League round of 16, overcoming Bilbao in the round of 32. We are the only Italian team to have beaten them at their home stadium,” he added. The third memory is linked to the 2018-19 championship with Mazzarri, in which Torino finished seventh with a very high-level second half of the season, placing fourth in that phase.
Torino Today and Future Expectations
Cairo`s final reflections concern Torino today. “We built today`s team with coach Baroni and director Vagnati, trying to make it competitive,” he explained. Despite a “bad defeat at San Siro against Inter,” which caused him “much regret and anger,” the president remains confident. “In my opinion, the team is there; some players like Simeone and Ngonge are finding their best form. It`s a team that can do good things: the coach is very motivated, he`s on track to do things well. I am confident; I believe the team has great potential,” he stated. The transfer market brought eight new players. “Eight new players, some are truly very strong. Asllani, for example, can be important in enabling Casadei, Gineitis, Anjorin, Ilic, and Vlasic to score goals. He can give us something good,” he concluded, expressing hope for the contribution of the new signings.
