Venezia fans are reportedly growing increasingly tired of their American owners and chants against president Duncan Niederauer were heard in the loss to Reggina.
The Veneto outfit was bought by a group of American investors led by lawyer Joe Tacopina in 2015 and were re-founded as Venezia FC following bankruptcy. After a few years bouncing around the lower divisions, Venezia earned promotion to Serie A, but quickly fell back down to the second tier after finishing rock bottom of the table last season.
As reported by Il Gazzettino, Venezia’s miserable 2-1 home loss to Reggina on Saturday left the fans furious and showed the first tangible signs of division between supporters and owners. Chants against president Niederauer and his right-hand man Alex Menta were heard at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo and both were asked to leave the club by the fans.
Some have accused the owners of running the team as more of a marketing vehicle than a proper football club, pointing to things like the elaborate kit designs or the change of the badge.