Soccer-Agnelli warns on Premier League dominance as he quits Juventus

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TURIN — Outgoing Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli, who might face trial over the membership’s accounting, signed off on Wednesday with a plea for reform of European soccer to counteract the ability of the English Premier League.

In addition to leaving Juventus, Agnelli additionally stated he would step down from his board roles at carmaker Stellantis and Exor, the Agnelli household holding firm which controls the soccer membership.

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Prosecutors in Turin have requested that Agnelli, 11 different individuals and the membership stand trial over allegations of false accounting. Juventus, probably the most profitable membership in Italian soccer historical past, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

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Agnelli has chaired Juventus since 2010 and was one of many architects of a failed try to arrange a breakaway European Tremendous League along with different high golf equipment in 2021.

“I believed and nonetheless consider that European soccer wants structural reforms to sort out the longer term,” he stated.

“In any other case we’re heading for inexorable decline for soccer in favor of a dominant league, the Premier League, which over a number of years will appeal to all of the European expertise and marginalize the others,” he added.

Agnelli is a part of the household that based carmaker Fiat, now a part of the Stellantis group, and which has owned Juventus for a century.

Agnelli stated his resolution to step down from the opposite boards was made in settlement with Exor boss John Elkann, who’s a cousin, and Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.

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“My want is to need to face the longer term with a clear slate, to have freedom to assume and act. And for that reason it seems like an obligation to take a step again from the boards,” he stated.

Andrea Agnelli retains his function as board member at Giovanni Agnelli B.V., Exor’s controlling shareholders, which teams all descendants of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli.

NEW BOARD

Gianluca Ferrero, an accountant very near Elkann, the senior enterprise determine within the Agnelli household, was appointed on Wednesday as the brand new Juventus chairman.

Agnelli handed him a black and white Juventus shirt, with Ferrero’s identify and the primary on the again.

The brand new chairman will head a slimmed-down, five-member board which is able to instantly have to handle the membership’s authorized troubles.

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A listening to is scheduled for Friday earlier than sporting authorities on its switch dealings, which might overturn a beforehand ruling that cleared it of wrongdoing.

The membership is predicted to face solely a positive if discovered responsible in that case. Nonetheless, soccer authorities at the moment are trying into all paperwork collected by common prosecutors in Turin, bringing the chance of recent instances with probably heavier sanctions.

The brand new board may even have to revive the membership’s monetary fortunes, hit by rising prices linked to gamers’ salaries and the coronavirus pandemic. Juventus booked a 238 million euro ($257 million) loss within the yr ended final June. (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; writing by Keith Weir, modifying by Jason Neely, Kirsten Donovan)