FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Listening to him speak, it is natural to wonder what connection Bepe Dosena has with a world that is often portrayed as superficial, empty and even rotten by some. Which, ultimately, is not true at all. Recounting his past, the former midfielder of the championship-winning team with Sampdoria tells some very special anecdotes, even outside of football, including sports, politics (his friendship with Craks) and… social issues. He was coach of Albania in 2002, but after a 4-1 defeat in Russia he left and never mentioned Albania again!
Dosena, you have a new commitment, what is the "Special Team"?
“A non-profit organization whose purpose is to care for the community of athletes of all disciplines, both active and especially after their careers. The president is Paolo Maldini. I understand that the public may think: 'Well, they are people who have wasted their money', but we are talking about individuals who do not do much for the country, but possess essential soft skills for the world of work. Sport cannot be just about winning a medal.”
Speaking of medals, you were robbed of the most precious one: the gold medal from the '82 World Cup. Did the Federation ever make any attempt to get you another one?
“No, and I’m not calling. It’s been a long time. But this is my life: even when I won the first African U-20 Cup of Nations with Ghana, my medal disappeared. Let’s just say I shouldn’t live with memories; my history teaches me that. A title won’t make my life better. It would have been right to have it returned to me at the right time.”
However, you didn't play a single minute at the World Cup in Spain. Do you have any regrets?
"That was a loss too, like the medal! And like the number 10. But no, I have no regrets: Bearzot had his hierarchies and showed respect for Causion, irritating Altobelli a little... It was right that way."
Bearzot led the national team, but in the meantime he also won the historic title with Sampdoria in 1991... What was Sampdoria like in those years?
"Anything could happen in that dressing room, but whenever we reached the limit, we didn't go beyond that. Out of respect for one person: Paolo Mantovani. The greatest president I've ever met in my life, someone who always gave the right answer. Then there was Vialli, the bomber tactician, and Mancini the strategist... The first was extremely prepared, the second had extraordinary instincts."
What is your fondest memory related to Vialin?
“A Sanremo Music Festival: he and I went to see the final, and Puh won with the song 'Uomini soli'. Luka was the ideal companion, even for a 15-day sailing holiday.”
Then your farewell to the Dorians: from a Champions League double to Serie C1 with Perugia. Why?
“I owed gratitude to President Mantovani: I made that decision to avoid becoming a burden. We met every week because he didn't want to let me go, but I wanted to keep playing. I took Gauç's offer, and that's how I decided. Whether it was Serie A, B or C. I always wanted to feel free: the most important gift after health, freedom.”
And indeed, in your career you have traveled half the world: Ghana, Arabia, Paraguay, Albania, Libya, Ethiopia...
“Yes, but the current moment is delicate; I think we are approaching an important revolution. Children born today would not be able to enjoy a similar experience. The political situation is complex…”
You have never hidden your passion for politics: you even have experience running for PSI, Kraksi...
“Yes, but I wouldn’t run again. I had time to follow the change; I graduated in political science with a focus on history, and I never hid my friendship with President Bettino Kraksi. The greatest lessons of history, however, came on the two occasions when I went to Hammamet with Kosigan and with the President of the Tunisian Republic: I looked like a child in a toy store. But running after politics, I also received a lot of criticism; my stance even made Coach Bearzot harsh with me: he wanted a complete athlete who expressed no other interests than football. But I didn’t want to know.”
Dosena, how did you become friends with Krax?
“On the show 'La Domenica Sportiva', Bepe Viola said to me: 'Ah, you footballers don't think, you don't talk, you don't even vote'. So I replied, 'Of course I vote. I vote for the Socialist Party: Betino Kraksin'. Then the next day I received an envelope: 'A T-shirt and a red carnation that said 'a friendship is worth it'. Kraksin had sent it to me and then we met and that's how we became friends."
Is it true that when you were a child you used to dribble prostitutes on the street?
"Yes. At the "Porta Palazzo", at midnight. I was even faster than Usain Bolt. Not even he could have caught me at that time. I was 14 years old and I played for the Turin youth team. I would go out at night and there was also... um... but I had my mind on the ball. The tram would leave me 700 meters away. And I would start running with the ball on my feet: bottles flying, fights, everything. Today, someone would have reported to my mother and father. And I couldn't talk about it with anyone, because in the dormitory I was alone in my room. But it was never a sacrifice. I had that passion: I would go to bed and I couldn't wait to wake up and go back to training, never thinking that I would become a footballer."
How do you evaluate Sampdoria today?
"They have done everything wrong in recent years. Exchanging players? Mission failed. Bringing a bankrupt club back to the top flight? Another mission failed."/Top Channel
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