John Elkann, the head of the Agnelli family, discussed their 100 years of ownership and how the club are ‘the backbone’ of Italian football.
The Bianconeri were rocked by various off-pitch legal battles last season, leaving them with a 10-point deduction after all was said and done at the end of the season.
The ruling saw Juventus drop out of the European spots, missing out on the key Champions League revenue stream, and they are now hoping to negotiate exclusion from next season’s Conference League, rather than delaying the punishment until the 2024-25 season.
Speaking to La Stampa via Calciomercato.com, Elkann first reflected on the Agnelli family’s 100 years of ownership of Juventus.
“There is a double thread of continuity that has united our family to Juventus over these hundred years: a visceral love, because they’re linked to moments of family life and indelible memories. And then the responsibility of building the future by innovating and adapting to the times.
“As my grandfather said, Juventus means youth. Youth means being projected towards the future. Their past is full of glory, but with the name they bear, we must look to the future. We work humbly for us and for millions of Bianconeri families like us.”
He then underlined how the Old Lady are an important part of the footballing landscape in Italy.
“There are those who think that Juventus are the problem of Italian football. On the contrary: they’re part of the solution. They’ve always been its backbone. They’ve given the structure to the national teams that have won the world titles.
“And on an economic level, with market operations, they’ve spent half a billion euros in recent years to buy players in Italy, contributing significantly to supporting the budgets of Serie A and lower division teams.”
Elkann touched on how time will help Juventus move on from their recent controversies.
“We’ve been through critical moments, we’ve always faced them, and we’ve come out of them with our heads held high. We’ll emerge from them even now and time will prove our choices right. It’s not the first time this has happened to us.
“In 1980 a betting inquiry involved Paolo Rossi. Boniperti’s Juventus bought him despite his disqualification.
“Trapattoni continued to coach him and with success: the winning of the 20th Scudetto also bore his signature. His victory was also ours, and it repaid all the controversy.”
He spoke about the arrival of sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, who left Napoli to sign a five-year contract with Juventus.
“We have already done the most important coup. It’s the arrival in Turin of Cristiano Giuntoli, the new sporting director, who represents adaptation and innovation, in perfect continuity with our history.
“Giuntoli will bring to Juventus a way of working that enhances young talents and builds champions.”
Finally, Elkann briefly commented on Juventus’ various off-pitch legal issues.
“We are convinced that we have acted in total correctness. Therefore, we defended ourselves and will continue to assert our reasons, without arrogance, but with total respect for the institutions.”
Insane to be talking about youth and then reading they want to sign Lukaku, a 30 year old for three or four years at 9 million a year,
The main problem in Italy is the lack of modern stadiums! If they want to compete with the rest, they must start building and leave the words behind!