We saw him rise, and now we are watching his fall.
Monday night marked the end of Andrea Agnelli’s Juventus. The president who took the club to great heights has been downhill for the last few years or so.
The boss may have survived the club’s regressive on-field results in the last three years, and also his failed attempt to launch the European Super League that created a major rift with UEFA, but financial investigations proved to be the last nail in the coffin of his 12-year term.
Tonight, Juventus released a statement confirming the resignation of the club’s president along with the rest of the board of directors, including vice-president Pavel Nedved and chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene, who will act as interim until a new board is appointed. .
In an emotional letter to club employees, Agnelli said goodbye to everyone at Juventus while trying to explain the reasons for leaving rather implicitly.
“Dear everyone, playing for Juventus, working for Juventus; one objective: to win”, reads the letter published by Sky Sport.
“Anyone who has the privilege of wearing the black and white jersey knows this. Those who work in teams know that hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. Juventus is one of the biggest clubs in the world and anyone who works or plays there knows that the result is the result of the work of the entire team.
“We are used to winning by history and by DNA. Since 2010 we honor our history by achieving extraordinary results: Stadium, 9 consecutive men’s championships, the first in Italy to have a Netflix and Amazon Prime series, J|Medical, 5 consecutive women’s championships from day zero. And again, the deal with Volkswagen (few know), the finals in Berlin and Cardiff (our great regret), the deal with adidas, the Next Gen Italian Cup, the first club to represent the clubs on the Executive Committee from UEFA, the J|Museum and much more.
“Hours, days, nights, months and seasons with the aim of always improving in the face of decisive moments. Each of us can remember the moment before going out onto the field: exit the locker room and turn right, about twenty steps downhill with a grate in the middle, another ten steps uphill and you’re there: “stage fright” and At that moment when you know you have the whole team with you, the impossible becomes feasible. Bernabeu, Old Trafford, Allianz Arena, Westfallen Stadium, San Siro, Georgios Karaiskakīs, Celtic Park, Camp Nou: wherever we went when the team was compact, we feared no one.
“When the team is not compact, it lends its side to the opponents and that can be fatal. At that moment you have to be lucid and contain the damage: we are facing a delicate moment from a corporate point of view and compactness has failed. Better to leave everyone together, giving the possibility to a new formation to turn that game around.
“Our conscience will be their challenge: to live up to the history of Juventus.
“I will continue to imagine and work for a better football, comforted by a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche: ‘And those who were seen dancing were considered crazy by those who couldn’t hear the music.’
“Remember, we will recognize each other at a glance: We are the people of Juve!
“Until the end…”
