Juventus name Gianluca Ferrero as new president after sacking board
Crisis-club Juventus name Gianluca Ferrero as leading candidate to become next president, with 59-year-old economics expert the front-runner to clean up mess following resignation of entire board at Italian giants
- The entire Juventus board resigned from their positions on Monday evening
- This comes amid an investigation into the club’s accounting in recent years
- President Andrea Agnelli is just one of big names to step down from his role
- His successor is set to be Gianluca Ferrero has vast experience in banking
- Italian press have reacted to the mass resignations by calling it a ‘new dawn’
Juventus have put Gianluca Ferrero forward as the club’s new president, after the club’s entire board, including Andrea Agnelli, sensationally resigned on Monday.
Ferrero is the man in the frame for the hotseat and the Italian giants put out a statement confirming their intentions on Tuesday morning.
The 59-year-old was chosen as the favoured candidate by Exor, the holding company that owns the majority of shares in Juventus. He is an economics expert, deputy chairman of the board of directors for Banca del Piemonte and well placed to clean up the financial mess he could inherit.
Gianluca Ferrero (above) has been earmarked by Juventus as their next club president
According to various Italian media outlets, the unanimous decision of the board to resign came as a result of involvement in the Prisma investigation, opened by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office.
A statement published on the club’s official website said that the board received ‘new legal and accounting opinions’ from independent experts in charge of assessing the ‘critical issues’.
Agnelli’s period of unprecedented dominance at the Allianz Stadium – including a nine-year run of Serie A titles – has now come to an end as a result.
Former president Andrea Agnelli resigned along with the entire Juventus board
Ferrero is hoped to be a steady hand on the tiller but there are plenty of fans who would like to see club legend Alessandro del Piero selected as the new president. Del Piero is expected to return in some capacity and could fill Pavel Nedved’s old role of vice president.
However, as it stands, Ferrero is the choice to take charge and Juventus’ statement read: ‘With reference to the decisions taken by the Board of Directors of Juventus FC and in advance of its Shareholders Meeting called for 18 January 2023, Exor communicates that it will indicate Gianluca Ferrero for the role of Chairman of Juventus.
‘As a corporate adviser, auditor, Board and committee member of a number of companies, Mr. Ferrero has significant experience and the required technical competencies, as well as a genuine passion for the club, making him the person most qualified to fulfil this role.
‘Exor will publish the full list of its candidates for the renewed Board of Directors within the timeframe required by law.’
Juventus are struggling on and off the pitch this season having fallen from grace
The club also published a brief working bio of Ferrero, outlining his experience, which includes an economics degree and various roles on the boards of different banking institutions in Turin.
Juventus now find themselves in a state of flux as pressure escalates off the pitch with regards to allegations, which they have previously denied.
On Tuesday, October 25 the club denied any wrongdoing after allegations of false accounting and market manipulation followed an investigation into the club’s financial statements.
Agnelli and the board resigned with the investigation hanging over their heads
The board had been informed that the investigation had finished, which usually precedes any request to take suspects to trial in Italy, and a source close to matters claimed that there were 15 suspects in the investigation, including Agnelli.
The club issued a statement, saying: ‘Juventus remains convinced… to have acted in compliance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial reports, in accordance with accounting principles and in line with the international practice in the football industry.’
The Turin prosecutor had alleged that the club misrepresented financial losses in the period 2018-20, with prosecutors investigating the amount ascribed to player sales.
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