New Parma President Giampietro Manenti admits that they are in a 'race against time' to settle the club’s debts.
The Ducali's new ownership faces the ambitious task of settling a debt estimated at €96m after the tenancies of Tommaso Ghirardi and Rezart Taci left the club in troubled financial waters.
Speaking at his first press conference as President, Manenti reiterated the promise he made last week that all debts will be paid.
New Parma President Giampietro Manenti admits that they are in a 'race against time' to settle the club’s debts.
The Ducali's new ownership faces the ambitious task of settling a debt estimated at €96m after the tenancies of Tommaso Ghirardi and Rezart Taci left the club in troubled financial waters.
Speaking at his first press conference as President, Manenti reiterated the promise he made last week that all debts will be paid.
“We're in a race against time,” said the President, as reported by ParmaLive.com. “We closed the sale on Thursday and we'll have the full board of directors next week.
“We're tackling the incumbent commitments directly. This morning, or tomorrow at the latest, the first payments will be made.
“We have a five-year plan and we're aiming for a number of steps, one of which is restructuring the club.
“We intend to bring the squad up to a certain level, even though everything's going wrong in terms of the League table this year and there were some matches we did not deserve to lose.
“We'll involve investors from outside of Italy too. One of our investors is Mapi Group. There are contributors from abroad that care not only about Parma but also about the province in general.
“Parma’s debt is different from what has been reported. Mapi Group will cover the whole debt related to taxation and some of the salaries.
“On February 18, 20 and 22 we'll settle the salaries for all the previous months.
“This is not a toy, we want to develop it into an important project in terms of the sport but especially from a financial point of view.”
Manenti also discussed Parma’s woes on the field, and says that even if the Ducali are relegated, they can return to the top flight.
“I don't think that winning 10 games out of the remaining 17 is possible, but we have faith in the team.
“If we are relegated it wouldn’t change anything. We’d move to Plan B, but the project wouldn’t change. Plan B would be to return quickly to Serie A.
“Don’t forget that Parma are one of the most renowned Italian clubs.
“We’ve met the lads and they didn’t give the impression of being resigned to their fate.
“I’m convinced that as long as we’re not mathematically condemned to relegation, we’ll fight until the end.”
image via Parmalive.com