Two months after leaving the Nerazzurri, Piero Ausilio has spoken in public again, at SFS. The interview was moderated by Sky Sport journalists Luca Marchetti and Gianluca Di Marzio on the Engagement Stage at Allianz Stadium in Turin. In it, the executive looked back on his 28 years at Inter, starting with the painful moment of his farewell.
"There comes a time when stories come to an end; what matters is knowing how to handle it," Ausilio said. "I left after a league title and a Coppa Italia. I would never have left after Munich. I had the chance to leave earlier, but I didn't; a win was the right moment."
He added: "Leaving on September 1st, at the close of the transfer window, is not a regret. There was no shortage of opportunities in the past. I always did what was best for Inter, and we built the strongest and most complete squad in recent years. I carry everything with me, even the difficult moments. More than anything else, I carry with me my relationship with the players. Since Dynamo Kyiv-Inter in 2009, I have never missed an Inter match; the only exception, because I was abroad, was the derby against Milan two weeks ago."
The conversation then turned to how the use of data has changed the sporting director's job. On this, Ausilio asserted: "I think there has to be a personal approach, which is the one I prefer. No data gives me the same feeling as seeing a player on the pitch or talking to him."
Over his career, the executive lived through four changes of ownership, from Moratti to Thohir, via Zhang and the Oaktree fund, always remaining a point of continuity through each handover. He went through difficult periods, such as complying with Financial Fair Play constraints during the first transition, and he charted the right path toward the recent triumphs, in which the choice of coach was crucial.
From Spalletti to Chivu, whose appointment had been the priority from the very beginning, a winning line took shape for the successes in Italy, driven by the common thread of continuity.
The ending, though painful, opens the way to the future and to the desire to test himself in a different league, such as the Premier League, which the executive himself mentioned at the close of the panel.