Ifi, the investment group of the Agnelli family, owners of Fiat and Ferrari, has decided to float 35 percent of the Juventus Football Club on the Milan borsa this fall. Turin-based Juve, as it’s known, is Italy’s most popular club, with a worldwide fan base of 35 million. As a global soccer brand, it’s rivaled only by England’s Manchester United, which scored first by going public back in 1991.
A stock market listing could raise as much as E245 million ($223 million) and help pay for such pricey players as Alessandro Del Piero, whose salary is reported to be $100,000 - a week. Perhaps it will also bolster the team’s fortunes on the field: Juve last won the European Champions League in 1995.
