A group of investors led by the co-owner of the Boston Celtics is now the majority owner of the Italian club.
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Atalanta Bergamo announced on Saturday February 19 that the majority of the club’s capital would pass into the hands of a group of investors led by the American Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics NBA team and co – Chairman of the American fund Bain Capital.
The Percassi family, current owners of the Italian football club, will keep 45% of the shares and Antonio Percassi and Luca Percassi will remain president and managing director, said the “Dea” in a press release [en italien]. Stephen Pagliuca, head of the group of investors who will acquire 55% of the club, will be appointed co-chairman.
This arrival is part of a movement of North American investment funds in Italian football, considered to be a lagging sector in terms of the level of TV rights and the development of stadiums according to experts.
Nearly half of the twenty clubs in Serie A now fly the North American flag with, in addition to Atalanta, Roma, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Venice, La Spezia and Genoa, bought this fall by the fund 777 Partners. Bologna, for its part, belongs to a Canadian owner.
Atalanta Bergamo, long considered a second-rate club, has particularly developed in recent years by regularly climbing into the Top 4 of the championship, which has allowed it to compete in the lucrative Champions League for the past three seasons.