UPS AND DOWNS OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL: 5 LANDMARK BANKRUPTCY CASES

UPS AND DOWNS OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL: 5 LANDMARK BANKRUPTCY CASES

UPS AND DOWNS OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL: 5 LANDMARK BANKRUPTCY CASES
It is difficult to surprise the world of Italian football with the high-profile bankruptcies.  Sports clubs that could have played in Serie A yesterday suddenly find themselves in Serie D due to the accumulated debt and financial problems.

‘Chievo’ Football club

One of the last cases was the bankruptcy of the Chievo club from Verona.  The sports club with 92-year history, which played in Serie A for almost two decades (2001-2019), filed for bankruptcy at the end of July 2021.

However, Chievo's loss of professional status does not seem out of the ordinary if we think of other football clubs that may have risen from the ashes of bankruptcy, like the Phoenix bird.  Is this the secret of the success of multiple European champions?  Let us recall only a few of the most high-profile cases.

 ‘Venice’ Football club

In 2015, the Italian ‘Venice’ went bankrupt.  It was the third case of insolvency for the sports club, created in 1907.  The former mayor of Khimki, who owned the club, was unable to finance the sports team, having transferred the assets to the local community.

Soon after such a step of Yuri Korablin, ‘Venice’ found new owners.  They were American investors, the most well-known among whom was the New Jersey entrepreneur Duncan Niederauer, who previously ran the New York Stock Exchange.  Now the ‘winged lions’ are fighting in Serie A again.

‘Vicenza’ Football club 

Vicenza club filed for bankruptcy in January 2018. The sports brand, founded in 1902, was a national cup triumph in the 1996-1997 season.  The magnificent game that Paolo Rossi played in the club's jersey became the legend of the world sports.

After bankruptcy, the club was acquired by Stefano Rosso, who made a fortune in the fashion industry.  As a result, the club's team successfully fights in Serie B, rising among the football divisions.

‘Parma’ Football club

One cannot but recall Parma, which successfully entered the group of the most prestigious teams in the 1990s, winning prizes in the Italian championships and in the UEFA Cup.  However, in the second half of the 2000s, the club began to actively change owners, since the previous owner of the team (the Tanzi family, which owns the Parmalat concern) was unable to develop the sports business.  As a result, in June 2015, the club declared insolvency.

 ‘Napoli’ Football club

The famous Napoli also went bankrupt in 2004. The legendary team, which twice became the champion of Italy and won the UEFA Cup, collapsed due to debts in the amount of ˆ 70 million.

The Neapolitans might have started sprinkling ashes on their heads if it hadn't been for the support of Aurelio di Laurentis.  The famous producer was able to return the club to its former gloss.  Now Napoli is considered one of the best football teams in Italy.

08.09.2021