When CF Montreal scores a goal, the bell rings in the east stands of Stade Saputo. On Sunday, this ringtone, if heard, will carry even greater emotion.
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You see, the group of supporters 1642 Montreal always invites personalities to ring this magnificent bell which has become the club’s trademark. For example, last Sunday it was Laurent Duvernay-Tardif who was responsible for operating it.
On Sunday, the guest will be Giulia Garofano. Julia who? It’s okay if the name isn’t immediately familiar to you. She certainly won’t hold it against you.
But because you ask, it’s the mother of Jason Di Tullio, the former player and then coach of the Bleu-blanc-noir who unfortunately lost his fight against bloody brain cancer at the end of July.
Emotion
Behind the team’s successes, of course, there is the hard work of Wilfried Nancy and his deputies, but there is also the spirit of Di Tullio, the Grinta as he called it, this desire to win, to do everything to achieve this without ever giving up.
Coincidence or not, since he left us on July 28, the team has lost only one of the fourteen games (11-1-3) it has played.
When Ismaël Koné was asked what it meant to him that Ms. Garofano was on bell duty, he had to take a break to control his emotions.
“It’s a tough time for the club and for us players. Maybe outside you could see it was the coaches who were affected, but we loved him, Jason.
“He was the first coach I had when I arrived in Montreal, he was the first voice I heard, so his death touched me. The fact that his mother and family are behind us at such a crucial time says it all. Don’t forget Jason. »
Complicity
On the pitch, Koné knows how to make people talk about him. He notably scored one of two goals in the 2-0 win over Orlando a week ago. And we can say thank you to the complicity that develops between him and Djordje Mihailovic.
“There are a lot of similarities between us and it shows in the way we move,” Mihailovic said. I think I have assists on three of his four goals so he has to buy me dinner. »
Verification made with Koné, he intends to pay the pizza to his friend and teammate. Because the two midfielders forged strong bonds last winter.
“We went to train for two weeks with Bologna in Italy and we got really close. Outside of football, we really talked about different things, including his family and what was going on in his life and vice versa,” Koné explained.
Good formula
The two men are at the heart of a tactical change made by Wilfried Nancy which was somewhat imposed on him by the absence of Romell Quioto. In the last match of the season, against Miami, he opted for a one-forward, four-midfielder formation.
“It’s a tactical change and I think playing this box helps us,” said Koné.
“We have two very experienced guys behind us in Vic [Victor Wanyama] and Sam [Samuel Piette] and that gives Ishmael and me a lot of freedom,” added Mihailovic.
“It took us almost two years to figure out what the coach wanted and this year we executed almost all of his plans to perfection,” noted the American. When there are smart players on the pitch, it makes things so much easier. »