“I’m a child of football. And a kid from Ettelbruck, too.” That’s why has never left Etzella, the local club where he signed his first licence at the age of 9. “As soon as it was possible to sign up, in fact!”
After a career as an attacking midfielder--he was crowned Luxembourg champion in the junior category--Di Bari joined the management committee of his lifelong club in 1993. “It was a way of taking on responsibilities other than on the pitch.” He served as secretary, treasurer and vice president. Now in his 50s, the Italo-Luxembourger has climbed the ranks to the presidency one by one, a position he has held since 2008.
Last season, Etzella, with a budget of €650,000 (all activities included), left the top flight after being relegated to the Luxembourg Division of Honour (Promotion d’Honneur), Luxembourg’s second division.
Promoted to CEO of Dussmann Luxembourg on 1 January this year, Di Bari, a former chief administrative officer and HR manager at the firm, has followed the same upward trajectory as in football with the German group, a global player in integrated building management services, catering and technical solutions. He has been with the group since 1997.
With 4,710 employees, , behind CFL. And yet, Di Bari said there are many similarities between running a club with 285 members and running a heavyweight in the local economy.
Pierre Théobald: What is more complex? Managing the 4,710 employees of Dussmann in Luxembourg or leading a group of players in the dressing room of FC Etzella Ettelbruck?
Tun Di Bari: It's more or less the same approach. What happens in a company and what happens on the pitch are nothing more than a reflection of society. You expect the same things and you defend the same values in terms of respect, fair play and team spirit. Honouring your duties, committing yourself, demanding excellence, having goals, achieving them, learning to get up if you fail, being resilient... Just as music can do, football brings people together. Whatever their nationality, ethnicity or religion. It’s about inclusion. Football, like business, is one big family. This comparison seems to me to be the most apt.
Are you the same Tun Di Bari as a CEO during the week and as a club president at the weekend?
I’m afraid so! I demand a lot of myself, so I expect the players on the pitch, as well as the people who work for the company or on the customer's premises, to give 100% of themselves. I don’t like cheating and I don’t like people who make excuses all the time. Expectations are the same. Only the emotions change. When you win a match, a final, it’s a bit stronger.
Is it these emotions that you seek in sport?
There are two things that drive me: emotions, and above all the fact that I work with young people. Etzella is a training club, and we fulfil our social role. It’s the same at Dussmann in our search for young talent and profiles that don’t belong to the [top tier of the labour] market, coming from other countries to find happiness in Luxembourg with a certain baggage. I’m looking for inclusion and sharing. In the end, we win together and we lose together.
It’s not always enough to be given an opportunity. You have to seize it and start working.
Is your HR skills an asset in football?
Of course it is. You have to have empathy and accept differences to get everyone to be competitive. HR skills are useful. But first of all, you have to like people. In a football club as in a company, that’s a sine qua non.
What has football taught you in your professional life?
Tolerance. And the conviction that in business as in sport, you can achieve success through hard work, determination and willpower. Personally, I was lucky enough to join my current employer through football. Dussmann was a sponsor of Etzella. I got to know the management through my job as club secretary. They wanted me to join them because they saw in me someone who was committed and looking for a challenge. In life, it's not always enough to be given an opportunity. You have to seize it and start working. You climb the ladder by taking small steps. It's the same in football.
In your 16 years as chairman, how many times have you been tempted to throw in the towel?
Etzella is my family. I’ve been looking for a successor for years. Someone who loves football as much as I do. Someone who serves the club, but who doesn’t use the club for political ends or his own ego. That’s my biggest concern. The role of chairman can only be fulfilled with commitment and altruism. The word passion is important. Of course, there are times when you get tired. When you realise that your commitment is not bearing fruit, for example. At those times, you push yourself to the limit. And when a new season starts, you start all over again. You do a reset. In any case, I’m not alone. At the club and at Dussmann, I’m very well surrounded. To move forward, you have to look for teammates who are at least as good as you are. If not better. That’s always been my credo.
And in the 28 years you’ve been with Dussmann, have you had any desire to give up?
No. That, no. When I joined Dussmann, it was still a family business with structures that were still developing. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to help build this fine company, alongside managers who have allowed me to grow and given me freedom. Of course, other groups have approached me. Despite that, I’ve never thought of leaving. You don’t just leave a family. And it's not just a question of money. It’s everything.
Do you become a better manager over time?
You’re not born a club president or CEO, you become one. Through work, as I said, through experience, through defeats, challenges, successes... You gradually build yourself up. That’s the real wealth. Being able to look back and say to yourself: ‘You know this situation. Things will work out fine’.
In life, you have to be the boss, but not play the boss.
How would you describe the club president-coach relationship? Is it comparable to the CEO-HR director tandem?
Of course it is. The most important elements in both cases are trust, loyalty and respect. But you also have to be able to say things to each other. I can’t stand hypocrisy. I’m a very genuine person. A straight-talking person. Once things have been said, I never go back on them. Without bitterness. These relationships are also the result of building over time. You choose a coach, give him objectives, trust him and let him work. After that, we’ll see. But only afterwards. You’ll never see me in the dressing room at half-time or at the end of a match. I stay where I am. In life, you have to be the boss but not play the boss. The same applies when you give an assignment to a colleague. First you let them work, then you debrief them to see how you can rectify the situation if necessary.
When Etzella loses on a Sunday, do people have to avoid talking to you in the office the next day?
No... When we lose, I’m not always in a good mood. It’s as if we were bidding for a contract tomorrow, and we were sure we’d get it, but in the end it slipped through our fingers. There’s disappointment! Not to mention some teasing. But that’s to be expected. And what I remember most of all is that on Mondays, in meetings, a lot of colleagues show an interest. Football is a subject. I’m also a member of the board of the Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF). I notice the same interest after a match of the men’s or women’s national team, or a match of the under-21s, which I have already been able to accompany.
You are the country’s second-largest employer. When it comes to football, haven’t you ever dreamt of being in charge of a club that’s a bit higher ranked?
Etzella is a traditional club. I compare it to Jeunesse du Nord. We’re a training club, which has always produced youngsters who play in the BGL Ligue [the top division]. We’re in the [second league], but we’ll be back [in the top division]. In football, there’s one thing that helps you a lot: money. We work with what we have. And with the young people we put on the pitch. We’re one of the few clubs in Luxembourg to give talented 16, 17 or 18 year olds a chance. You need patience.
When the time comes to retire, it will be the right time to run for the position of president of the Luxembourg Football Federation, won’t it?
The question is put to me from time to time, and I’m always surprised. Personally, I have no ambitions with regard to Paul Philipp’s position [the current president, 73, who has been in charge since 2004 and was re-elected last year for a four-year term]. He’s doing a great job. He wants to continue. So the question doesn’t arise. In any case, it’s not my priority. Even if, in life, you never know.
Read the original French version of this interview