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Mattia Croci-Torti, is it true that you always wear a hat because you find yourself more attractive in a hat?
Mattia Croci-Torti: Yes, that’s really the only reason. When I look in the mirror, I look much better with a cap than without. It was that way when I was 13 and it remains that way to this day.
So you don’t like yourself without a hat?
Yes Yes. That also fits. But I just think I’m more fun with a cap. It makes me feel cool, good, authentic and relaxed.
How many hats do you own?
Around 12 o ‘clock. I wear FC Lugano’s to matches.
You and your hats are already iconic.
I notice that too. Many young fans ask me after games if they can have my cap. Not only in Tessin, but also in German-speaking Switzerland.
And?
I only give the cap away when lost. Then I immediately buy a new one in the FC Lugano fan shop.
Don’t you get this for free as the club’s best advertising medium?
I get one cap per season, as do all players and staff. But you don’t have to worry about me. The cap costs 38 francs and we only lost twice this year (laughs).
Where is the cup winner’s cap you wore a year ago in the 4-1 win over St Gallen now?
I gave this to a friend’s daughter. I promised her long ago.
As a Lugano coach you have never lost in the cup. Ten cup wins in a row…
… thats crazy. And to be honest, I’m proud of it too. For me, the cup is a very special competition, connected with so many emotions. Even as a child I always watched the cup final on television with my father. There is the victory of Lugano in 1993 with Subiat or the final of AC Bellinzona in pink shirts in 2008 against Basel. The cup is also special for lower league footballers like me, who have played almost 200 games in the Challenge League but none in the Super League. Unforgettable how we beat Servette and then YB with Malcantone in 2003 under Vladimir Petkovic. For me, the cup days were the best of the year. De Beker writes wonderful stories.
A year ago you yourself wrote a wonderfully emotional cup story. After the 4:1 against St. Gallen, you cried uncontrollably in Wankdorf and touched all of Switzerland.
Those were pure emotions. When I saw the happy players and tifosi, a huge burden was lifted from me. The great pressure was suddenly gone, it shocked me.
They went into the finals as underdogs. Where did this pressure come from?
Especially from myself. After the semi-final it was clear to me: now the trophy has to go to Ticino. That was my big mission. To achieve this I have invested and risked a lot. I rest important players in the championship. I provoked and teased in public. And for weeks I tried to induce euphoria in Ticino. To motivate people to go to Bern. It was great to have more than 9,000 people from Ticino in the stadium. A journalist told me that never before had so many people from Ticino made a pilgrimage to another canton for an event. Not for a concert, not for art, not for any other sporting event. That was historic.
About 12,000 people are expected from Ticino on Sunday. Will the tears come again after the final whistle?
That can of course happen again, but it doesn’t have to.
Is the pressure less this time?
Much smaller. The situation is completely different: we can win, but we don’t have to. We have nothing to lose. YB is the favorite – the Bernese have scored 17 points more than us in the championship. But we also have a lot of quality and have been unbeaten in the cup and league for eleven games in a row. We are confident that we can put in a great performance and beat YB.
Not afraid that your winning streak will break in the cup?
In my head there is no way we could lose on Sunday. In my head there is only victory and what we have to do for it. I have zero fear and am full of confidence. A year ago it was different.
Why?
As a trainer of a professional club, I am undefeated in the cup. But seven years ago I lost the final of the Ticino Cup with SC Balerna against Arbedo 2:3. I thought: if I lose the St. Gallen final, then I’m a loser.
What went wrong with Arbedo?
Aguirre was wrong. The former star striker of FC St. Gallen scored two goals. But like I said, it’s not in my head anymore.
Where has the cup been all year?
At the FC Lugano office. About a month ago we had to send it back. Before I packed him, I posed for a picture with him and our three children. They said, “Dad, bring back the trophy.” Otherwise, their classmates would be sad, they said.
Are your children not Lugano fans?
They are all big fans of Ambri-Piotta. But of course they will all be in Bern on Sunday and cheer for Lugano.
Will you walk whistling to the bank before kick-off on Sunday?
Chances are, yes.
What songs do you whistle every time? “We are the Champions”?
Usually it’s fan chants that go through my head. I am not a musical person, I have never played an instrument. But I like fan curves and their songs. When all FCZ fans said goodbye to Blerim Dzemaili last Sunday, I got goosebumps. Those songs, that fervor, those emotions. If I wasn’t on the bench for professional reasons, I was in the corner.
Do you have a past in fan curves?
Yes. I was always in the Inter Milan fan block. I still have a season ticket at Inter today. I am also a big fan of SAV Vacallo Basket. We have won the Swiss Cup in basketball several times. When I was younger I was a heater in the corner, with a megaphone and everything that goes with it.
Now you yourself are celebrated by the Curva Nord. Are you still the same as you used to be as an assistant coach or parquet salesman?
Everything around me has changed, I’m still the same. I behave differently, think before I speak. I also try to react less emotionally on the phone. Which, frankly, isn’t always easy for me. But as a Super League coach I have a role model function for young footballers, for young coaches and for all Ticino sports. In addition, as a Lugano coach, I am very present in the Ticino media. In any case, since we won the cup, I have been recognized and spoken to everywhere in Ticino.
This entails certain dangers. Are you drinking one less grappa in the cave now?
Certainly. Or I’m looking for a place where no one can see me (laughs).
Italian head coaches often wear designer suits. Why are you still coaching with a hat, t-shirt and hoodie?
Should I have changed my style just because I became a head coach? No, I prefer to be myself, I am much happier that way. Plus, it probably wouldn’t have been well received in Ticino. People will probably have thought: “Now Crus suddenly comes along in a suit, has he taken off?”
Have you ever worn a suit and tie?
Yes. During my football career I also worked as a floor salesman. Depending on the arrangement, I also had to wear a tie and suit. So I can certainly be an elegant man. But on Sunday I’ll be in Wankdorf with cap and T-shirt.
Have you already promised someone your cup final cap?
I’ve worn them for 11 games now, because we’ve never lost. Nobody would want that (laughs)!
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
