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☆ Inter disappointed as Lukaku ban upheld despite racist abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Inter Milan expressed their disappointment after a one-match ban for striker Romelu Lukaku was upheld on Friday, saying the player has been punished despite being racially abused in their Coppa Italia semi-final against Juventus. Lukaku, who was sent off in the first leg of the semi-final, will remain suspended for the return against Juventus on Wednesday after the club's appeal was rejected by Italy's Sports Court Of Appeal. The Belgian striker was subjected to racial abuse during the first leg at Juventus "before, during, and after the penalty" he had scored to earn Inter a 1-1 draw, the player's representatives said. Juventus were ordered to close the Tribuna Sud section of their stadium after racist chants were heard coming from that area, a ban which was later overturned following the club's appeal. Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spurs director Paratici resigns after ban appeal rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Fabio Paratici has resigned as Tottenham Hotspur's managing director of football after his appeal against a 30-month ban from football was rejected by Italy's top sports body, the Premier League club said on Friday. Paratici lodged his appeal in Italy after governing body FIFA extended the ban imposed on him by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) over his role in transfer deals and finances while at former club Juventus. The 50-year-old, who joined Tottenham in 2021 following an 11-year stint at Juve, had taken a leave of absence from his role at Spurs pending the outcome of the appeal . "FIFA ruled to extend the ban worldwide and, whilst there continues to be a dispute as to the scope and extent of the ban, the current worldwide ban prevents Fabio from fulfilling his duties as our Managing Director of Football," Tottenham said. Paratici's case was heard by Italy's top sports body within the Italian Olympic Committee, which issued its rulings on Thursday.

☆ Juventus draw with Sporting to book semi-final spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Sporting CP v Juventus - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - April 20, 2023 Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny and Angel Di Maria celebrate after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo AntunesLISBON, April 20 (Reuters) - Juventus drew 1-1 with Sporting in an entertaining Europa League clash on Thursday to win their quarter-final 2-1 on aggregate and set up a semi-final clash with Sevilla. Juventus took an early lead through midfielder Adrien Rabiot who netted from close range after nine minutes following a corner. A lively clash continued after the break as Sporting pressed with confidence for possession but defenders Ricardo Esgaio and Sebastian Coates squandered three late chances to level the tie. Juventus will meet Sevilla in the semi-finals on May 11 and 18 after the Spanish side knocked out Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate. Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy sports authority scraps 15-point penalty for Juventus, orders new trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, April 20 (Reuters) - Italy's top sports body on Thursday cancelled a decision to dock Serie A club Juventus (JUVE.MI) 15 points in a case centered on the club's transfer dealings, ordering soccer authorities to hold another hearing. The ruling of Italy's Sports Guarantee Board came after Juventus, the most successful soccer club in Italy, appealed a sentence Italy's soccer court issued in January as it looked at the way the club and a number of other teams dealt with player exchange deals. The soccer court had also imposed bans from holding office in Italian soccer on 11 past and present Juventus directors, including former Chairman Andrea Agnelli, a prominent member of the family controlling Juventus through their investment company Exor (EXOR.AS). Partially accepting the Juventus appeal, the Sports Guarantee Board did not clear the club of wrongdoing. It instead ruled that a soccer court made up of different judges should now hold new proceedings against Juventus and the directors and come up with more appropriate punishment.

☆ Stuttering Juve face Napoli test as they look to get back on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

If their appeal succeeded and the points penalty was cancelled, they would jump to third on 59 points. Napoli have one win in their last five games, a run that includes league and Champions League defeats to AC Milan, and are winless in their last three games in all competitions. Lazio will be the first of the top teams in action when they host 11th-placed Torino on Saturday. Simone Inzaghi's fifth-placed Inter Milan take on an Empoli side that beat them 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, while AC Milan host Lecce. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Juventus draw with Sporting to book Europa semi-final spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They will meet Sevilla in the semi-finals on May 11 and 18 after the Spanish side knocked out Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate. Juventus took an early lead through Rabiot who netted from close range after nine minutes following a corner. Just before halftime, Sporting winger Nuno Santos tried to square the ball inside the box coming from the left but Juve defender Gleison Bremer blocked the threat right in front of the diving Szczesny. After the break Sporting pressed with confidence for possession but they squandered three more opportunities to level the match. Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inter relishing dream run to semi-final showdown against Milan - Inzaghi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, April 20 (Reuters) - Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi described their run to the Champions League semi-finals as a dream and said they will give it all they have got against city rivals AC Milan as they battle to become the first Italian finalists for six years. "It's historic, because of what they are doing, reaching both the Champions League and Coppa Italia semi-finals. "We know that some points were left on the road in the Italian league, but it's most because of a crazy schedule. The Milan teams have met twice in the Champions League knockout stages, the 2002-03 semis and 2004-05 quarter-finals with AC Milan, seven-times European champions, winning both ties. Inter and AC Milan will clash at the San Siro in the first leg on May 10 and on May 16 in the second leg.

☆ Juventus await decision on appeal against 15-point deduction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Italy's Sports Guarantee Board held a hearing earlier on Wednesday and a decision was expected either later on Wednesday or on Thursday. Juventus, the most successful soccer club in Italy, has appealed a sentence that Italy's soccer court issued in January following an investigation into the way the club and a number of other teams dealt with player exchange deals. As part of the January's sentence, which left Juventus outside the qualifying spots for lucrative European competitions, the court also imposed bans from holding office in Italian soccer on 11 past and present club directors. Juventus's lawyer Maurizio Bellacosa said January's sentence was "full of mistakes" and that it had to be cancelled. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Giulio Piovaccari Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Juventus stadium ban for Lukaku abuse overturned
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday that all areas of the Allianz Stadium would be open after the sanction originally imposed by the sports judge had been annulled. Juventus were hit with the partial stadium closure after racist chants aimed at Lukaku were heard during their 1-1 first leg draw against Inter in the Coppa Italia. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Juve banned two fans from their stadium after video footage of the incident went viral. The club have appealed against the sanction and a decision is expected shortly. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Agnellis' Exor eyes further healthcare investment for expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Giulio Piovaccari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After completing the sale of its reinsurer PartnerRE, Exor has around 6.5 billion euros in cash available for investments, including 5 billion euros for acquisitions. It has already said its M&A activity would mainly focus on healthcare, luxury and technology businesses. Through its venture capital arm Exor Ventures, Exor was also developing partnerships with healthcare companies at an early stage of their development, Elkann said. NEW CHAIRMANExor is the single largest investor in carmaker Stellantis and has controlling stakes in companies including Ferrari (RACE.MI), CNH Industrial (CNHI.MI) and soccer club Juventus (JUVE.MI). It said its profit rose to 4.227 billion euros ($4.64 billion) last year, from 1.717 billion euros in 2021 mainly due to the net gain it booked from the 8.6 billion euro sale of PartnerRe.

☆ Exor picks Nohria as new chairman to succeed World Bank nominee Banga
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Netherlands-based Exor has proposed Nitin Nohria as its new non-executive chairman, it said in a statement as it presented its full-year results. It said its profit rose to 4.227 billion euros ($4.64 billion) last year, from 1.717 billion euros in 2021. The holding company's net asset value (NAV) amounted to 28.233 billion euros at the end of 2022, 9.1% lower then a year earlier. Exor proposed an ordinary dividend of 100 million euros, or 0.44 euros per share. Exor said that in the first months of 2023 it had increased investments in its private funds strategies by 400 million euros and committed for a further 300 million euros.

☆ Dybala penalty seals win over Torino to send Roma third
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 8 (Reuters) - A Paulo Dybala penalty and a superb defensive performance gave AS Roma a 1-0 win away to Torino on Saturday that lifted them to third place in the table and boosted their hopes of a spot in next season's Champions League. Roma are two points behind second-placed Lazio, who will play Juventus later on Saturday. The match was only eight minutes old when Dybala converted a penalty following a handball from Torino's Perr Schuurs. Following the goal, Roma went on the defensive, causing problems for Torino's midfield, who searched for opportunities without success throughout most of the match. Despite the visitors' overall control of the match, Torino's Pietro Pellegri could have equalised late on when his shot towards goal was deflected inches wide.

☆ US sports giant Fanatics acquires top Italian football club merchandiser
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fanatics has acquired Italian sports merchandise company Epi for an undisclosed amount and will rebrand the Milan-based company as Fanatics Italy. The company operates the ecommerce, in-venue, physical retail store and third-party logistics for several of the top football clubs in Italy including AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, as well as the Italian Football Federation, which oversees the Italian national team. The deal builds upon Fanatics' existing presence in Europe and across the globe, which totals more than 60 offices, and manufacturing and distribution facilities. Roughly a "low double-digit" percentage of Fanatics' revenue comes from outside North America, Mack said, declining to comment further as Fanatics is a private company. Revenue for Fanatics will be approximately $8 billion in 2023, according to previous company estimates seen by CNBC.

☆ Tottenham end unhappy relationship with Conte
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Antonio Conte's increasingly fractious relationship with Tottenham Hotspur came to an end with the Premier League club announcing they had parted ways with the Italian on Sunday. "We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," Tottenham said in a statement. "We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio's first season at the club. "We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place," chairman Daniel Levy said in the statement. Conte leaves with Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League and still well-placed to challenge for a top-four finish and qualify for the Champions League.

☆ Juventus says first half loss shrinks as pandemic impact fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The result compares with a restated loss of 112.1 million euros for the same period of the previous fiscal year. Juventus said in a statement that revenue development and actions taken to contain costs had also contributed to narrowing the loss in the six months to Dec. 31. It added that although the economic and financial background remained unfavourable, there was a "significant improvement" in the current fiscal year compared to the previous one. The club, which posted a 239 million euro loss for the year to June 30, 2022, had already said in September that it expects to also finish the current fiscal year in the red. Juventus are now in seventh place, just four points outside the European qualifying places.

☆ Runaway league leaders Napoli crush Torino 4-0 away
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Serie A leaders Napoli thrashed Torino 4-0 away with a double from Victor Oshimen and goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele on Sunday to move closer to the title. The Naples side have a 21-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan, who host Juventus later on Sunday. Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a penalty after being fouled by Karol Linetty. Oshimen scored his second and reached a league-leading 21 goals this season six minutes into the second half with another header following Mathias Olivera's cross. Napoli next host fourth-placed AC Milan while mid-table Torino visit Sassuolo after the international break.

☆ Juve lack attacking options for Inter clash, says Allegri
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 18 (Reuters) - Juventus could be without Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa for Sunday's Serie A match at Inter Milan as the Turin club battles a growing injury list, manager Massimiliano Allegri said. Both have struggled with injuries this season and Allegri said on Saturday they could join Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro, Arkadiusz Milik and Paul Pogba as injury absentees. Moise Kean is also suspended after he was sent off in their 1-0 loss against AS Roma earlier this month. We don’t have options up front without Kean and Milik, we have (Matias) Soule but only (Dusan) Vlahovic as a starting striker," Allegri said. "It’s important and difficult in Milan because six-pointers are always difficult to play," Allegri added.

☆ Failed crypto scheme endorsed by soccer player Paul Pogba reportedly plunges one investor into so much debt that he now lives with his parents again
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A flopped NFT project promoted by Juventus soccer player Paul Pogba has plunged one investor deep into debt. "The main reason we invested was Pogba," he said, referring to the NFT collection CryptoDragons that's plunged in value since its inception. I'm just working, working, working," Kurnaz said. "The main reason we invested was Pogba," Kurnaz said. Pogba isn't the only Premier League player to have promoted a NFT collection that has ended up in the dumps.

MILAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Italy's government on Tuesday dropped legislation aimed at giving top flight soccer league Serie A the option of extending domestic broadcast deals beyond their scheduled expiry next year, documents seen by Reuters showed. That is only a half of the amount England's Premier League collects under its existing TV deals in its home market, according to UEFA data. Home to storied soccer clubs such as Juventus (JUVE.MI), AC Milan and Inter Milan, Serie A plans to seek bids for the rights to screen its matches in Italy for subsequent seasons. It was not immediately clear whether the measure would be included in any other bill at a later stage. ($1 = 0.9291 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ronaldo scores four goals to pass 500 in club career
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday to reach the career milestone of 500 club goals. The Portugal international, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, was unstoppable against hosts Al Wehda, netting four times in 30 minutes to lead his team to a 4-0 win. Ronaldo has scored 503 league goals for five clubs in five different top-flight leagues. He bagged 103 for Manchester United, 311 for Real Madrid, 81 for Juventus, three for Sporting Lisbon, and now has five for Al Nassr. Al Nassr top the standings after 16 games, level on 37 points with second-placed Al Shabab.

☆ A future European Super League could have 80 clubs - A22 CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationBERLIN, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A future European Super League could include as many as 80 teams, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a breakaway soccer league, said on Thursday. "The vast majority of them share the assessment that the very foundation of European football is under threat, and it is time for change," A22 said. "Feedback suggests a European football league that is open, based solely on sporting merit, multidivisional with 60 to 80 clubs and a minimum of 14 guaranteed European matches per club." Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were among 12 clubs to announce a breakaway Super League in April 2021. "The walking corpse that is the European Super League twitches again with all the self-awareness one associates with a zombie," said FSA chief executive Kevin Miles in a statement.

☆ Debt is poor fix for Italian soccer’s malaise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Top soccer league Serie A needs cash to revamp its ailing media rights business. The division, which counts Lautaro Martínez and Paulo Dybala among its few world-class champions, made revenue of 2.5 billion euros in the 2020-2021 football season, nearly half the star-studded Premier League’s 5.5 billion euros, Deloitte data shows. Its broadcasting revenue has dropped more than 20% to about 1.1 billion euros since 2018, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters Breakingviews. Club owners would be better off entrusting independent executives to look after media rights. The Deutsche Fussball Liga, which runs Germany’s football league, is due to discuss the media rights sale at a meeting on Feb. 9.

☆ Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea sign midfielder in £106.8m British-record transfer deal from Benfica
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chelsea had been in talks to sign the World Cup winner throughout January, but Benfica had refused to do business unless the Blues paid his €120m release clause. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesChelsea have signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record £106.8m. The deal for the Argentine surpasses the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago. But Chelsea agreed a deal of €121m at 9.15pm on Deadline Day after 12 hours of talks led by Chelsea's co-owner Behdad Eghbali from London. Fernandez will help to replace Jorginho, who joined Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal on Deadline Day in a £12m deal.

☆ Leeds sign U.S. midfielder McKennie on loan from Juventus
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - Serie A - Cremonese v Juventus - Stadio Giovanni Zini, Cremona, Italy - January 4, 2023 Juventus' Weston McKennie during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File PhotoJan 30 (Reuters) - Leeds United have signed United States midfielder Weston McKennie on loan until the end of the season from Juventus, the Premier League club said on Monday. The 24-year-old has made nearly 100 appearances for the Serie A team since joining in 2020, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists. The former Schalke 04 player will join fellow U.S. internationals Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson at Leeds, who are coached by compatriot Jesse Marsch. Leeds have also signed defender Max Wober and forward Georginio Rutter in the January transfer window. The club are 15th in the standings and sit just one point above the relegation zone halfway through the season.

☆ Juventus suffer shock home loss to Monza
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 29 (Reuters) - Juventus suffered another blow in their bid for Champions League qualification as they slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Monza in Serie A on Sunday. Juventus are languishing 13th in the standings with 23 points, two places behind Monza. Massimiliano Allegri's side have not been able to recover momentum after being docked 15 points this month following an investigation into the club's transfer dealings. They are 15 points behind AC Milan in the last Champions League qualification spot. Juventus dominated the second half but were repeatedly denied by Monza keeper Michele Di Gregorio who made several good saves.

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