Torino FC supporter and television personality Marco Berry has publicly criticized club president Urbano Cairo, describing the current state of the Serie A side as unsustainable while calling for a change in ownership.
Marco Berry’s critique of Torino’s roster management
Addressing the team’s performance at the start of the 2024-2025 Serie A season, Berry characterized the club’s transfer strategy as inadequate. He noted that the team’s current points total—which he described as exceeding his own low expectations—was largely the result of capitalizing on a period of crisis for Fiorentina rather than strategic squad building. He dismissed the prospect of the club competing against top-tier Italian sides, arguing that the reliance on late-window signings and secondary market opportunities left the technical staff with limited options to achieve meaningful results.
Berry explicitly questioned the president’s expectations for the season, stating that a club president cannot reasonably anticipate success without significant investment in the starting lineup. He suggested that, unless manager Paolo Vanoli—referred to as “Abate” in the source reporting—can produce unexpected results, the team faces a difficult campaign where the primary objective must be avoiding relegation.
The ongoing deadlock regarding the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino
The dialogue surrounding the future of the club’s stadium remains a central point of tension between the city administration and the club’s leadership. Berry alleged that the president is intentionally delaying negotiations to sell the stadium as part of a larger package deal with the football club. According to Berry, this strategy is designed to inflate the club’s value for a potential buyer, despite the city of Turin having extended deadlines for the society to present a formal plan for the facility.
Berry argued that the president’s public statements regarding the sale of the club to a “serious” buyer are misleading to the fanbase. He posited that without ownership of the stadium, the club holds significantly less value, making the current management’s approach a calculated move to secure a profitable exit while ignoring the immediate needs of the supporters.
Institutional structure and the role of Urbano Cairo
Beyond the stadium and the transfer market, Berry highlighted what he views as a fundamental lack of institutional organization at Torino FC. He criticized the president for maintaining a centralized management style, claiming that the club operates without a formal administrative structure or a dedicated chief executive officer. Berry described the president as an “accentratore” (someone who keeps all power to himself) who continues to oversee football operations despite, in his view, lacking the necessary expertise in the sport.
This lack of a defined professional hierarchy, according to Berry, has left the club without a clear identity. He expressed disbelief that the president remains in his position despite persistent protests from the supporter base, suggesting that the narrative that the current ownership saved the club has lost its relevance after years of stagnation.
The club’s next competitive fixture remains the primary focus for the technical staff as they attempt to improve their standing in the league table. While fans continue to voice their frustrations regarding the management of the club, the squad is scheduled to return to the pitch for its upcoming match, marking another checkpoint in an increasingly scrutinized season.
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