The wedler between the goal posts and the court

The 47-year-old has been practicing as a lawyer for 72 years and has made a big name for himself as a defense lawyer in criminal law not only in South Tyrol, but also in Sicily. His most famous cases have filled newspaper pages for decades. Regardless of whether it was Gabriel D'Alessandro, Alexander Dander, Cleto Tolpeit, Hubert Wieser or, in recent weeks, Benno Neumair: Flavio Moccia was at their side as a defender. Passionate athlete But this is only one side of the wiry man who sweeps through his office on Bolzano's Victory Square like a whirlwind. The other is that of the enthusiastic ski racer who loves taking part in Masters races and is also a multiple world advocate ski champion. “Write that I win in my age group. I was the fastest of the entire field of participants only once, that was at the end of the 1990s at the World Championships in Metsovo, the only ski resort in Greece.”

Also cuts a good figure in the slalom: Flavio Moccia (72).

In Moccia's law office, his golf club and balls are in the corner (“I don't play golf anymore, it's too time-consuming for me”). There are only a few souvenir photos from skiing, most of them are hidden behind some files. Only an impressive number of trophies and medals on the impressive archive boxes suggest that Flavio Moccia does not let his trophies gather dust in the basement.

Then he “rolls up” a cigarette, starts to take a drag, stoically endures the almost non-stop telephone ringing and for once slips into the role not of the lawyer who asks questions, but rather that of the athlete who answers the questions.

How did you get into skiing?

" My mom, who was a sports enthusiast, made me do it. She got me into skiing, even though I wasn't particularly keen on it as a teenager. When I started a family at the age of 26 and my four children were old enough, it hit me. Instead of waiting for them during the ski course, I started training myself. They drove for SC Rosengarten and I took part in all the children's races. While my children took different paths as they got older due to study or injury reasons, I founded a training group with other lawyers, entrepreneurs and friends 4 years ago. We called them the cleaning group. The coach from the start was Adolf Putzer from Welschnofen, Karen Putzer's father. We have also been training with Raimund Plancker, the coach of the Italian men's national team, for 40 years, whenever he has time. But most of the time Cinzia Valt-Dejori is our trainer.”

How can you combine your job as a lawyer with your passion for ski racing?

" I do around 150 trials a year. At 72, I am still as enthusiastic about my work as I was on the first day. I have been retired for 5 years. But skiing has a fixed place in my weekly schedule. I ski around 50 days a year, and I enjoy the training more than the ski races. In winter, ski training is compulsory once a week, usually on the Karerpass in the morning. I draw strength from getting up at 6 a.m., gathering all the ski gear, getting in the car and driving to ski training. I change in the lift house at the Paolina chairlift, usually leaving the white shirt and tie on under my racing suit to save time changing before going back to the Bozen court.”

Is used to being in a storm of flashbulbs: defense lawyer Flavio Moccia. © Andreas Kemenater

Doesn't it take a lot of discipline and effort to manage this back and forth?

" Mentally, my thoughts are on processes 24 hours a day. The only minute when I don't think about my work is during training or during the race itself. I have to switch off and concentrate on my run, nothing else matters. It is not for nothing that there is the saying “mens sana in corpore sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body, editor’s note). This helps me in my work. When I ski, I'm in the fresh air and my body has to work at peak performance. And then there is the completely different world of being in the courtroom with judges, prosecutors, witnesses, the media, etc. discussing the guilt or non-guilt of my clients. This mix is the constant highlight for me, and not lying by the swimming pool of a luxury hotel and sipping champagne.” “The only minute I don’t think about my work on the court is between the goalposts.” Flavio Moccia How is your athletic preparation?

“(laughs) That’s my big problem. I'm bored with athletic training. I hate training on the bike. It's too monotonous for me. Normally I would have to do 3000 or 4000 kilometers by bike, but I only do 300 at most. For a little over a year now, I've been training for an hour via video conference at lunchtime. Once a week, I can’t do more than that.”

Has ski racing shaped you for life?

"Yes, of course. Completely new horizons have opened up for me. I'm out in the mountains, I know all the ski resorts in Europe, I've been to Canada and the USA. Masters racing is my world. But that doesn't mean that the world at the court isn't my world. But: Being together after the races, discussing your own performance, with a glass of wine and a piece of bacon, I get a lot of energy from that.”

" data-fancybox="inline-76282" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2021/04/ist-seit-jahrzehnten-stammfahrer-beim-master-suedtirolcup-flavio-mocciaze.jpg"> Has been a regular driver at the Master South Tyrol Cup for decades: Flavio Moccia.

You are now 72 years old. How long do you want to keep going at full throttle?

“I don’t see any limit. Where I have to pay attention is the athletic condition. I'm very busy with my job, which is why I can no longer do dry training for one hour per week. In summer I like water skiing, either on Lake Garda or in Sicily, where I have a house and can train perfectly on the smooth water in the morning. But as already mentioned, dry training is too boring for me. However, a minimum is necessary because otherwise I risk falling and injuring myself. I can't afford not to be in court because of a broken leg or a torn ACL. I am the defendant's attorney, and as such I cannot drop out because no one else could. I ski with a certain degree of caution. Of course, this also affects my sporting performance. For me, risk is only possible to a certain extent.” “Lying by the swimming pool of a luxury hotel and sipping champagne is not my thing.” Flavio Moccia You also regularly work on criminal trials in Sicily. Why actually?

“I spend around 5 days a month there. I have established myself there for a little over 10 years. My former passenger Enzo Fragalá was beaten to death under dubious circumstances in 2010. This caused quite a stir at the time. In Sicily the crimes have completely different dimensions than here in South Tyrol. The quality of the judges, public prosecutors and lawyers is correspondingly outstanding. I was just lucky that I was able to hold on and push through despite everything.”

Last question: What do you say about the affair surrounding Alex Schwazer and the fact that his pardon before the sports court is not going well? “I am following the case because I represented Gottlieb Taschler in the alleged doping story with his son Daniel and sports doctor Michele Ferrari, who in turn was linked to Schwazer (it ended with a complete acquittal before the Court of Cassation, editor's note .). I am convinced that Alex was treated very badly; and at the highest level. No idea, for whatever reasons, whether political, economic or simply to make an example of him. I am convinced that we will see Alex competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in summer 2021. Gerhard Brandstätter is a top lawyer, he must and will ensure that Alex Schwazer can start there.” Flavio Moccia in portrait Born: January 24, 1949 in Bolzano

Location: Bolzano

Job: Lawyer specializing in criminal law, law firms in Bolzano and Menfi (Sicily)

Hobbies: Skis, water skis, cars (winner of the Porsche Cup - combination of uniformity test with Porsche and giant slalom), had a pilot's license, golf

Special: Flavio Moccia's father comes from Avellino, his mother from Venice, they moved to Bolzano in 1948, where Flavio Moccia was born in January 1949. From June to December 2006, under the leadership of the then FISI President Gaetano Coppi, Coppi was represented on the national FISI board before Coppi had to resign early.

Sporting achievements: Multiple world ski champion for lawyers in his age group; regular participant in the Master Ski World Championships and the Raffeisencup in South Tyrol.

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The wedler between the goal posts and the court

The courtroom is his home. One would think, because: “The courtroom? Of course, I really enjoy my job as a lawyer. But I am a master ski racer. And we do it with the utmost passion and conviction. Write that!” dictates Flavio Moccia into the recorder.

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