For years I have tried to change European competitions from the inside, because the signs of crisis were evident even before the pandemic. The Super League is not a coup, but a desperate cry of alarm for a system that, knowingly or not, is heading towards insolvency. The agreement between the founders was conditional on UEFA’s prior recognition of the competition. The response was deafening, with offensive terms and arrogant methods, and then it turned to three clubs. It is not with this type of behaviour that football is reformed in the face of this crisis. Fortunately, I know that not everyone in UEFA feels the same way. The desire for dialogue, however, remains unchanged. Other sports have faced changes of this type, and almost all stakeholders agree that the model needs to be changed. Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid are determined to achieve a complete reform of the competitions, and above all, in the interest of the clubs that show us fear for this situation.
But today we are here, above all, to celebrate 11 years with Fabio. We have won a lot, enjoyed happy moments, created great sports development projects, such as Juventus Women and the Under 23. I am thinking of the many players he brought here: I will mention three: Tevez, Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo. My only regret? Van Persie…
Fabio could talk about football for hours, and you wouldn’t stop listening to him. A boy arrived at Juventus and now leaves as a man, who has the great merit of curiosity, talent, instinct, responsibility. He is a winner. Fabio was the protagonist in what was perhaps the most difficult moment in the history of football: nothing was normal, and those who experienced it from the inside know it well. Together we came to the conclusion that perhaps it was time to undertake a different journey. And I can only say, in my name and in the name of all of Juventus: thank you. It’s been a fantastic 11 years.
