Agnelli: ‘Marotta vital for Juventus’
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli thanks the departing Giuseppe Marotta - “he was instrumental in the growth of the club”.
The general manager and CEO will not be on the new board appointed at today’s shareholders’ meeting, and his contract is expected to be resolved in the coming days.
“For the next challenges, we decided to renew the Juventus leadership,” Agnelli told the 302 shareholders present.
“The organisation model will not change and will be based on three pillars: services, revenue and, centrally, sport.
“However, I owe my thanks to the two outgoing directors: [CFO] Aldo Mazzia, who is here with us today, and Giuseppe Marotta.
“Aldo joined the group in 1987, he was hired by my father and that’s the curiosity of this closing circle.
“He rose from positions of administration and control to become CFO. He was key in developing the stadium and the Continassa project, which he personally followed.
“If today we can boast of having headquarters next to our own stadium, a state-of-the-art training ground, a hotel and a concept store, then we owe it to Aldo.
“For that, Aldo, now only I but all of Juventus are grateful to you.
“Speaking for myself, calling Giuseppe Marotta a professional in the world of football is simplistic.
“He has been managing football clubs for 40 years, with successes like those at Venezia and Atalanta. He left Sampdoria in the Champions League, before joining Juventus.
“The ability and knowledge of Marotta have been instrumental in the growth of the club, and we owe him our warm thanks and applause.
“What allowed us to make this choice is the work Aldo and Giuseppe did in helping the professionals under them, raising future professionals who could take their role.
“We’ve decided to divide Beppe Marotta’s responsibilities to those who are already board members, so there will be a new generation of leaders entrusted with the future of Juventus.”
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“Why now? I don’t fix the deadlines of a publicly traded company, it’s natural that the decision would come at this time.
“We decided to renew the leadership, but nothing can take away the feelings of affection, gratitude and recognition for Marotta.” - Andrea Agnelli
Giuseppe Marotta is believed to be closer than ever to joining Inter, but there are doubts about the precise title of his role.
The 61-year-old is no longer CEO of Juventus after the board meeting today, and while he is still under contract as general manager that will be resolved in the coming weeks.
He has been heavily linked with a role at Inter, and Tuttomercatoweb believes owners Suning are very close to reaching an agreement with Marotta.
The only doubt which remains is over his role, as Alessandro Antonello is already installed as CEO and Piero Ausilio is sporting director, working above head of football operations Giovanni Gardini.
It’s likely that Marotta will be a general manager like at Juve, meaning he will oversee everything to do with the football side of the club.
It’s possible he could later be made joint-CEO or at least be appointed to the board, as happened in Turin.
The Old Lady released a statement this afternoon thanking the director for his work, stating “Marotta’s contribution at every stage of this journey will not be forgotten, nor will the lessons learned by anyone who had the privilege of working by his side”.