They exist, too. And live far away from the glittering heights of much anticipated Champions League nights. They are never in charge of Real Madrid or Manchester United. Their star players are worth as much as Messi’s weekly wage. They are as far as possible from any single trophy or accolade.But they are anything but lousy. It’s just their destiny that keeps them lonesome and jobless too often.That’s the story of, among others, Italian coach Fabrizio Castori. He was Salernitana’s boss until October 17, when he got sacked after the 3-1 defeat to Spezia that sent his side to the bottom of the table.Nothing but a headache… Castori with Salernitana players (© Ivan Romano/Getty Images)Castori was waved despite being the guy who brought Salernitana back to the Italian top tier after none less than 22 years-long hiatus.An image of him, sitting desperately alone on the bench by the seaside, emerged on social media and soon attracted the attention of thousands of users. It does tell a story of its own.This is an image of sacked Salernitana coach Fabrizio Castori. The man who brought them up to Serie A after 22 years was getting to grips with losing his job, his club. Sitting alone on the Vietri sul Mare seafront.The human cost. No one will forget the tremendous job he did. 💕 pic.twitter.com/3pdxvbhdLF— Mina Rzouki (@Minarzouki) October 18, 2021 And it’s not the first time for the good old Castori, 67, to be released of his duties in the turbulent world of Italian football. Moreover, Salernitana is the first and will probably be the only top-division slot he’ll ever lead. Once they achieved the unthinkable in May 2021, he was a hero, an icon, a larger-than-life type of guy.Once upon a time… Salernitata celebrate their Serie A promotion in May (©Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images)But that was yesterday. In football, today only matters, and he’s jobless on Tuesday. And probably tired and lonesome.Sure, there’s no need nor reason to praise him like Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola – they are considered greats for some undeniable results – but he and Castori-like managers deserve our respect for their essential attitude towards the game. Knowing there’s no silverware at the end of (any) road, they still rush into it every single time, fighting in the trenches they’ll be expelled from as soon as the inevitable trauma of defeat knocks on the door. And it will, like it always does. Not because of their lack of knowledge – since they do a good job – but of the surreal ambitions of boardrooms that demand their abysmal girls to be transformed into Cinderellas with a bit of coaching magic.(2.25) AJAX (3.60) DORTMUND (3.30)So, what’s next for the ill-fated Castori? One thing’s for sure – it will be his 27th assignment in one of those lower niches of the Italian football hierarchy. He’ll be welcomed with bags of hope, for sure, and, eventually, fired with nothing left but that permanent loneliness on some wooden-made bench near the coastline in the sunset.By: Bojan Babic
