Rain of millions on Juventus. This morning the Vinovo sports center hosted the General Assembly of the parent company for a comprehensive press conference. Andrea Agnelli, John Elkann and Sergio Marchionne were present, primarily to formalize the agreement with Jeep, which will be the team's main sponsor for the next three years.
Let's start with the news of the day, with Juventus redoing its look and returning to fill the coffers after the lean years after Calciopoli. Juventus and Fiat have signed an agreement for the sponsorship of Juventus' game shirts for the next three football seasons. From 2012 July 35, Fiat will become the sole shirt sponsor of Juventus, for all competitions, for a total fixed fee of 11,7 million euros (XNUMX per year), in addition to the supply of the group's car. In the next season, the Jeep brand will appear on the game jerseys.
The agreement will last until 30 June 2015. “We have stipulated a three-year agreement with a major brand – began Andrea Agnelli -. The sponsor will be until 2015, with the Fiat group that has seized a great opportunity. It's a 35 million deal over the three-year period, we're back in the top ten in Europe and at the top in Italy. Jeep is a great American brand that arrives in Italy and together with Nike will appear on our shirts. We hope to live up to two such prestigious brands”.
Sergio Marchionne also expressed himself on the subject, today in the unusual guise of a black and white fan: “I didn't become a Juventus fan due to a clause in the contract, but since I was five years old. When the results don't arrive, the only thing to do is a breakout operation and focus on people who promote change like Juventus did, which has returned to being a competitive and successful team. Of all our brands, we have chosen Jeep as a sponsorship, for an elective affinity, for a premonition. Jeep is used in America to teach children to write the J, just as Juventus is taken as an example in Italy".
A lot of satisfaction also for John Elkann: “It's a day where two brands, such as Jeep and Juventus, come together. They are two important brands in our group, but they want to be important not only in Italy and in Europe but also in the world and I can't wait to see this complete Juventus on the pitch".
However, Andrea Agnelli wanted to immediately clear the field of misunderstandings: the new sponsor will not affect the next signing campaign: “The sponsorship agreement does not bring direct links to the transfer market, ours is a multi-year plan that has already been defined. Our fire capacity was established a year ago. Now we are in the top ten in Europe, let's see how to deploy our economic capabilities. There is room for many solutions”.
But Juventus' commercial strategies aren't limited to the sponsor on the shirt. The bianconeri are still waiting for a brand that gives the stadium its name, an important issue that Sportfive is dealing with: “We know that there are ongoing negotiations for the sponsorship of the stadium, but at the moment there is nothing concrete ”, Agnelli reiterated, who then gave some reflections on current football topics. First of all a dutiful defense to Conte, brought up (albeit only lightly) by an interception by Antonio Bellavista, who asked a certain "Raimondo" to try to contact the then Siena coach before the match against Sassuolo.
Bellavista did not receive any response, which would already be enough to remove any embarrassment from Conte (who in fact is not being investigated in the most absolute way), but Agnelli nevertheless wanted to clarify the following: "We are not insensitive to the dynamics that take place in the prosecutors, the fact that anonymous complaints that affect our members are made, leaves us vigilant: I have known Conte for about twenty years and if he has some defects, I want to confirm his values. He is a person of integrity and loyalty, what the sensations are are unpleasant sensations that we will face if and when it is the case”.
The discussion then moved on to the alleged controversy with the Lega Calcio, which did not foresee the simultaneity for the 37th matchday, that of Cagliari-Juventus (15 pm) and Inter-Milan (20.45 pm). Presumed precisely, because Agnelli has already had reassurances from the Serie A government: “We have contracts to respect, but the League has already confirmed to us that, if we arrive at the penultimate matchday still fighting with Milan, the contemporaneity will be guaranteed. There are already enough cases in football, let's not create them even where they don't exist."
Closure dedicated to the Italian Cup and the final in Rome on May 20 against Napoli: “It will have to be a great celebration for football, between two teams that haven't played for a trophy for a long time. I am convinced that it will be like this at the Olimpico and that the best will win”.
