Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu grabbed an apron to make pizza and candidly chat with Giovanni Guidetti, head coach of the world champion Vakıfbank women's volleyball team and the Turkish national women's volleyball team on Monday. Although the agenda was Italian cuisine, the conversation quickly diverged from the art of food prep.
The agenda of the duo, who met at an Italian restaurant in Istanbul, was Italian cuisine infused with sports. Guidetti equipped with the pizza recipe – one of the first dishes that comes to mind when Italian cuisine is mentioned – outlined the tricks of pizza making for Kasapoğlu. The successful trainer said that the secret of a delicious pizza is the tomato sauce. Expressing that they often make pizza at home, Guidetti and Kasapoğlu set out to craft the pizza dough together.
The duo then slid the pizzas, now covered with toppings, into an oven using a pizza peel.
While the pizzas cooked, the two engaged in an animated conversation – of course, nothing less can be expected from two Mediterranean people.
Answering Kasapoğlu's questions sincerely, the experienced coach said that his interest in volleyball started at a very young age because his father was a volleyball coach.
In response to Kasapoğlu's query, "What is the secret of sustainable success in sports?" Guidetti said: "To always try to do our best. It is not always possible to meet at the middle point in team sports since teams consist of different characters and people. It's my job, as the coach, to make this possible. That is exactly the role of a coach. Bringing everyone together at a common point and instilling the same purpose and desire. If you can make everyone feel this sense of attachment to a dream, goal, team or club in some way, you can see that all people work together and you will achieve success."
When the coach first came to Turkey 13 years ago he explained that he initially struggled to adjust. "My Turkish was zero and almost no one in the team spoke English. I felt like I was lost when the training was over. I remember going in the wrong direction. Life was not easy. I called my manager and said I want to go back to Italy, find me a team. After that, you gradually get used to it, naturally. As I made Turkish friends and the team got better, I started to like this city and its people," explained Guidetti.
As the pizzas continued to bake, the two continued their candid conversation that at this point turned to food, with the minister asking, "Rice pudding or gelato?"
"Gelato. No need to ask," the Italian coach responded.
Along the same line, Kasapoğlu queried, "Iskender or pizza?"
"Pizza. No need to ask," the coach answered.
"Turkish coffee or espresso?" the minister pressed.
Offering a slightly diplomatic answer, the coach said: "I have to say that I love both of them very much. But I choose espresso as it is easier to make with machines."
As candid conversations often do, the minister then switched to other classic get-to-know-you topics: "Do you prefer reading a book or watching a movie?"
"Book. I can learn more while reading a book," the coach replied
Moving on to tougher choices, the minister asked, "Would you prefer living without music or living without television?"
"I don't turn on the television too much. When I turn it on, I only watch sports events. But I can't live without music," the coach said.
Looping back to the subject of the day, Kasapoğlu asked, "Do you prefer to win the match 3-0 or to win in the fifth set?"
"The matches I won in the fifth set were always more exciting. Of course, it can also be depressing at times. I will choose the fifth set as it shows that both teams are battling very well. The 3-2 shows that neither team gave up," Guidetti explained.
After this pleasant conversation, it was time to try the cooked pizzas. Guidetti, who tasted the mushroom pizza made by Kasapoğlu, said it was both perfectly thin and delicious. In turn, Kasapoğlu said he liked the caramelized onion pizza made by the Italian technical coach, congratulating Guidetti both for his success in the kitchen and on the court.