Claudio Fenucci recalls his path that started with Giovanni Semeraro`s Lecce: “I started in 1995 as CEO of Lecce and worked with an Italian ownership for 17 years, a company with shareholders, the Semeraro family, who were in love with Lecce and the sport in an economic context of the soccer industry that was naturally different than today. Those were the years after the launch of pay TV. At Roma I was with Jim Pallotta, then Saputo here in Bologna. Joey knows very well the value of the sport in terms of the collective emotion generated. He has always said that he is not the owner but the custodian of Bologna, which also belongs to the city and the fans. Saputo also has a Club in MLS in the United States, so he has a deep-rooted view of sports business. His biggest concern today is about how Lega Serie A can grow further and overcome the difficult challenges of tomorrow in an industry that is facing major changes in some key sectors, such as the media and commercial world.”
And on Bologna: “We arrived with Saputo when Bologna was in Serie B, won the championship, consolidated in Serie A thanks to the investment of the ownership. We had some difficulties in one season resolved with the arrival of Sinisa Mihajlovic and progressively we improved, managing to qualify for the Champions League. This season, after a normal adjustment for a new game proposal, we have found a team chemistry that works thanks to the work of Vincenzo Italiano, the staff and the players. The victory with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions has enhanced the path. Having played the top European competition then helped us to perform even better in the league. We put in high-level, high-intensity performances. We are satisfied, but we must not stop. We are ambitious.”
For Fenucci, the development of soccer passes through the modernization of stadiums. In Bologna, there are discussions between upgrading the Dall`Ara and building a new facility: “Italian soccer needs new facilities. There`s no pilot project or unique model. Streamlining administrative procedures, even with the intervention of a Commissioner, and finding financial resources can be common starting points. The path of the ‘Dall`Ara’ relates to a redevelopment and is a very complex process, with higher costs than building a new stadium. In 2019 we started with a supporting business plan but it was turned upside down after Covid and we saw construction costs rise, as in the whole real estate sector, significantly reducing the return on investment. We should build a temporary stadium when the ‘Dall`Ara’ is temporarily closed for construction. The ‘Dall`Ara’ is not only an asset for Bologna but for all of Italian soccer. When it was built it was a model for many other stadiums in Italy and Europe. Only by upgrading the facilities can we create the fans of tomorrow in Italian soccer. The bond between club and fan is born inside the stadium, facilities suitable for new generations are needed.”
On CalcioBologna.it the words of Santiago Castro
The article Fenucci: “My Lecce? A family in love in a different economic context” comes from Calcio Lecce.
