Bologna owner Joey Saputo has apologised to the club’s fans after the badge for their new home shirt was criticised for looking like a Juventus clone.
The shield on Bologna’s home jersey for next season sports a black-and-white look, prompting mixed reaction from Rossoblu supporters on social media, but Saputo insisted the colour scheme was “only a stylistic choice”.
Bologna owner Joey Saputo has apologised to the club’s fans after the badge for their new home shirt was criticised for looking like a Juventus clone.
The shield on Bologna’s home jersey for next season sports a black-and-white look, prompting mixed reaction from Rossoblu supporters on social media, but Saputo insisted the colour scheme was “only a stylistic choice”.
“I want to directly address all Bologna supporters after the recent controversy surrounding the presentation of our new shirt,” he told the club’s official website.
“I have read the public statements and media criticism and it saddens me that the choice to display a two-tone version of our logo has been interpreted by many fans as an insult to Bologna’s history.
“This was not our intention in any way whatsoever. As you know, since we have been in charge of the club, we have placed full emphasis on the value of our history, noting this club’s great cultural and symbolical heritage.
“We have done this by embellishing the stadium with our colours, producing pieces of clothing and gadgets linked to Bolognese pride, publishing books on the great players from our past, organising meetings and exhibitions related to our history, celebrating in the most appropriate manner our former players and also encouraging schoolchildren to visit the Dall’Ara to help them understand where this club has come from.
“There are lot of other similar initiatives in the works, one being the Hall of Fame museum. When the second shirt is released, you will realise how much it is inspired by the collective memory that unites all of our fans.
“The much-debated two-colour tone of our logo, which I had endorsed, is only a stylistic choice put forward for the matchday jerseys.
“The Bologna crest remains and so does the traditional rossoblu, which you will continue to find in all official forms of club communication, sportswear and team merchandise.
“Respect for our history has always been the main priority for both myself and my partners.
“Forza Bologna, forever!”
Image courtesy bolognafc.it