Fiorentina have inaugurated their Viola Park training ground, with President Rocco Commisso claiming it will make ‘some players want to come to Fiorentina rather than Juventus.’
The huge camp in the Bagno a Ripoli area outside Florence is state of the art, including training facilities and a stadium where the senior, youth and women’s teams will all work side by side.
Work began in October 2019 and the compound was formally opened today, with UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin among those attending the ceremony.
“Since 1926, Fiorentina did not have anything truly belonging to the club. Now you can say that there is,” said Commisso.
“I went to America at the age of 12 and I was fortunate. I already said four years ago that I returned to Italy to give back, my wife wanted us to choose a beautiful city and we are in Florence.
“I think this structure can help Fiorentina and every day there will be over 800 people working here. Napoli, Atalanta, Genoa, Lazio and Bologna, when all these teams were purchased, put together, they cost less than this training ground.
“We pumped over €420m into Fiorentina and I want to say that I am happy to still be investing here.”
Commisso also complained about the red tape that held up some of his projects, including the restructuring of the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
“I hope that seeing Viola Park, some players will want to come to Fiorentina rather than Juventus.”
Then maybe you should start building a team aiming for scudetto instead of UECL, mister. Please do.
If only the bureacrats from Firenza would’ve allowed this man to build a new stadium…. Fiorentina would’ve had the best stadium in all of Italy!