Gianni De Biasi was the first coach of Albania to qualify them for a major tournament, and he achieved that by qualifying the team for the Euro 2016 championship.
Since the qualification he became a national hero.
Giovanni De Biasi, he is fondly known as Gianni, was born in June 16th 1956 in Sarmede, a small village in Marca Trevigiana, better known as “Paese delle Fiabe”.
Like most of his companions he loved to play football with his friends in all his leasure time beside school. The first steps he did in the court of his home, then he joined the teams of the neighbour villages: First at San Giacomo, lateron at Vittorio Veneto.
During the years Gianni lived with his parents in the small village he was born in, he kept playing in these teams, but his talent was already noticed. When he was 18, he was hired by Treviso where relocates to and registers in the Collegio Pio X to finish his studies, at that moment his highest priority.
After only one year playing a very good season, Gianni attracts the interest of various professional clubs. He was finally bought by Inter di Fraizzoli where he meets Mazzola, Facchetti, and Boninsegna.
Quite a hard challenge to a young enthousiastic guy who grew up on the countryside. Actually not ready for the highest league. The Inter-Management lends him to Reggio Emilia, then to Pescara where he finally enters the serie A at the age of only 20.
He continues for a period of 5 years in Brescia, 3 years in Palermo, Vicenza and finally plays again in Treviso where he ends his active career.
He decides to change hi strack and benefits on his financial education and starts working successfully in financial consulting hired by an important bank group. But his passion belongs to football and he cannot deny that fact!
So he returns to his beloved football subject starting his professional coaching career with the young football generation in Bassano, followed by the national juveniles of Vicenza. Beside his active work he studies again and graduates in the Supercorso Allenatori di Coverciano. His coaching career of a leading team started in the liga serie C2 in Vasto where he was hired only after one year by Carpi in serie C1, and after complying with his 3-year-contract in Emilia Gianni started in Cosenza in serie B.
Several teams in serie C follow with whom Gianni achieved the top in their series, like la Spal, Modena e Palermo.
In this period Gianni had the opportunity to discover and to be responsable in the allenation of Roberto Baggio.
Although he was now established in serie A with Brescia, Gianni accepted the hiring by Urbano Cairo, the president oft he new club in Torino to create a new team in serie B. He formed the team within one month and was immideately successful.
Giannis next station was Valencia where he coached impressivly Levante in the spanish Liga.
In the meantime Torino did not compete well in Italy and risked to descent; so that Urbano Cairo asks Gianni again to help the team. He accepted, allowing for his nickname Il Toro – Torino performed much better and stayed in the liga.
As the Torino team was safe, Gianni returns to Udine where he leads the team to a very high performance. They beat Milan in the Coppa Italia, but after failing in Genova he was resigned after only 2 months.
In this period without any coaching contract Gianni performed successfully in the media, reporting live on the Champions League and the World Championship for RAI e Sky.
Disappoited by his last experiences in the italian series Gianni accepts the offer of Armando Duka, president oft he Albanian Football Federation to fulfil his ambitious plans about the national team.
After the disappointing qualification phase to the World Championship Gianni faced the problems of the alnbanian team and started his scouting and acquisition tour to set up a new young team. The team spirit grows and after the two historical victories against Portugal and Denmark the team got really strong in confidence and self assurance. The dream to join the European Championship was ready to be followed, steadily supported by the albanian fottball federation.
Because oft he team’s success Gianni even got the albanian Citizenship by the president oft he Albanian Republic, Bujar Nishani. The Università Europea di Tirana Laurea Honoris Causa in Scienze Sociali honours him as a member: „Because of uniting different types of players who are spread over all Europe under one flag….for the birth of a new national emotion!“
On october 11th 2015 Albania beats Armenia 3:0. The signal tob e part of the European Championship for the first time in the history of the Albanian football. Outstanding and unexpected. Gianni De Biasi became a national hero.
1997/98 SPAL Campionato italiano Serie C2
1998/99 SPAL Coppa Italia Serie C
2000/01 Modena Campionato italiano Serie C1
2000/01 Modena Super Coppa Italiana Serie C
2001/02 Modena Campionato italiano Serie B
2005/06 Torino Campionato italiano Serie B
2015/16 Albania Qualificazione Euro Francia 2016
2000/01 Panchina d’Argento
2015/16 Panchina d’Oro Speciale
Interview April 2016
Your approval rating has become really high. How can you manage your publicity?
For many years I have lived in the world of football, and now I can in a balanced way to manage the negative and positive moments about my profession. Of course, the popularity and the rumors are amplified when you do business like that of our national team, the important thing is to always be aware that all this may change, but the commitment must always be up.
Are there other countries or clubs who want to hire you? How do you feel about that?
In the past year I have had several job offers from other federations as well as Clubs, but my commitment and my focus is solely on the Albanian National Team.
Does Mrs De Biasi always agree with your time management and your plans?
My wife Paola follows me closely, even if not physically, but knows the way I work and knows that absorbs me so much time. She always knows my plans and my goals.
Why did you choose to coach the Albanian team? What motivated you to come?
I was recovering from a bad experience with my last club in Italy (Udinese) and I wanted to prove to myself and to others, that if I had the opportunity to coach building my group of players, I would have achieved very high target
Would you prolong your contract? Would you attend the players to the FIFA Worldcup?
My contract expires in 2017, and today are focused on with my next European staff. Everything else is distracting and not by results ….
What are the strengths of the team? Where could the players do better?
I believe that our strength is in the group! Too many times we talk about no logical group, but for us the group is the most important thing.
The team was founded by a group that knows how to suffer but rejoices in the victories of the companions, even when it is not protagonists in the field.
I think we did your ultimate, in qualifying, and certain negative experiences will help us to grow
How do you motivate the players in general?
I think the biggest motivation for our boys is to be able to wear the shirt Black Red! Knowing that so many people expect so much from them, and that can not disappoint them.
You are not somebody who leaves anything to chance. How does the training before the EURO look like?
I really believe in the organization and physical and mental preparation of each game and each event. I personally chose the training camp in Austria and France, why do a lot of importance to logistics.
Did you analyse the group oponents?
Sure! know your opponents helps you understand how to deal with what are the strengths and the weaker ones ….
Why did you choose the Bretagne as the basement?
I chose the Bretannia for climatic reasons, because we have a perfect logistics and then because we have an exclusive hotel just for us. And then the Bretannia is the land of the Gauls tenacious people who struggle, as we will have us !!!
Can you give us a daily schedule of a day in France?
Work, work, work!!!
Are the families of the players around them? Or do you prefer to have them focussed only on the matches?
I believe that families can come to France for the games, but then other days the time for them there will be. We too close matches and therefore the time we need to work on the field, technical meetings, and to rest and recover efforts!
The EURO tournament gets closer quite quickly. Are you more nervous?
I see no reason, and the advantage to being nervous. I am very load and analyze the situation very clearly. Then the games live with passion together with my boys, trying to help with suggestions and incitements
Is there any fear in the team because of the terrorism?
We must think about the games! The rest believe that the police will guarantee maximum security during the Euro
Giannis favorite dish, una RICETTA della tradizione:
Radici e fasoi
Fagioli di Lamon secchi
Radicchio di campo
Radicchio di Treviso
Radicchio rosso castellano
Peperoncino aglio
Alga e alloro
Dopo aver risciacquato i fagioli secchi in acqua corrente, mettere a mollo i fagioli con l’alga e una foglia di alloro
(10 ore)
Mettere i fagioli in pentola e fateli cuocere a fuoco medio basso, regolando il sale, quando sono al punto (non troppo cotti!) passarli con il passaverdure o pimer, Nel frattempo in poco olio di oliva facciamo saltare uno spicchio d’aglio e il peperoncino a pezzettini senza i semi interni.
Versiamo la purea di fagioli che abbiamo ottenuto nell’olio e peperoncino (dopo aver tolto lo spicchio d’aglio) e amalgamiamo bene il tutto. Se volete aggiungete un po’ di acqua di cottura per ottenere la consistenza desiderata.
Fate un mix dei vari tipi di radicchio (a seconda della stagione) conditeli con olio sale e limone (non amo l’aceto, ma sarebbe preferibile).
Quando avrete messo il radicchio sul piatto, versate sopra un mestolino o più di crema di fagioli.
Un miracolo di bontà contadina, semplice, vera e saporita!
