Olympics: Former Italy midfielder Damiano Tommasi embracing role of Verona mayor
Source: Japan Wire by Kyodo News
MILAN – Having taken an unorthodox path since retiring from football, former Italian international Damiano Tommasi has a huge event ahead of him as mayor of Verona, where the upcoming Winter Olympics closing ceremony will take place.
Part of the Roma squad that last won the Italian Serie A in 2001 alongside Japan star Hidetoshi Nakata, the former all-around midfielder is injecting the same tenacity and decision-making ability that endeared him to the Romanisti into his new role.
“It’ll be a big celebration for the city,” the 51-year-old from the suburbs of Verona said of the closing ceremony at Verona Arena on Feb. 26. “The ceremony at a monument with around 2,000 years of history will offer viewers a moving scene.”
After making his professional debut with Hellas Verona in Serie B in 1993, Tommasi played for Italy at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics but did not take part in the closing ceremony after their group-stage exit.
“I’m glad I’ll be able to share the moment with the athletes as a mayor, an experience I could not make come true as a player,” he said.
Tommasi moved to Roma that summer and won their last scudetto as a key part of Fabio Capello’s renowned side five seasons later, playing the whole of the pivotal 2-2 draw late in the campaign away to title rivals Juventus, who led on goals by Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane in the first six minutes.
Nakata replaced talisman Francesco Totti on the hour mark and buried a strike from nearly 30 meters out before another powerful effort from distance allowed Vincenzo Montella to tuck in the rebound in the dying minutes.
“We had the greatest attacking players at Roma at that time under Capello, starting with Totti, then Montella and (Gabriel) Batistuta,” Tommasi recalled of his time in the Italian top tier when it was widely regarded as the world’s best league.
“But Hidetoshi hit his stride whenever he was on the pitch, even if he wasn’t a regular starter. He made the team function with no drop-offs in work rate and playing standard. His level of contribution against Juventus, which put us in pole position for the title, was really high.”
A mainstay in the Italy side that went out in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Tommasi went on to play in Spain, England and China before serving as president of the Italian Footballers’ Association between 2011 and 2020 as well as an Italian Football Federation board member.
His calm work ethic led to calls from residents of Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, for him to stand for election, bringing forth his “new vision for the future.” He won in 2022, becoming the provincial capital’s first center-left mayor in 15 years.
With his on-pitch spirit of “giving all as a member of the team” and “fulfilling one’s role” intact, Tommasi believes the city has become more “ambitious” with the successful hosting of a Group of Seven Industry, Technology and Digital Ministerial Meeting in March 2024.
With his idea, Casa Verona opened in late November at a site formerly used as a munition arsenal, providing live broadcasts, athlete interactions and past medal displays. It will also remain the city’s hub afterward to broadcast sporting events around the world.
“I want to regenerate it as the symbol of peace and sports…I will make it function as a place where the Olympics’ ideals are embodied,” Tommasi said. “I believe sports always provide important lessons for society and politics.”
“Disappointingly, the games in recent years have very often been reported in terms of numerical figures like economic impact and tourism revenue, while the Olympic roots of athletes inspiring future athletes have been forgotten. The value of the Olympics lies in the impact on humanity and society that is passed on over centuries.”
The original article: belongs to Japan Wire by Kyodo News .
