Atalanta’s CEO Luca Percassi recently shared his thoughts on the club’s new Gewiss Stadium and their upcoming Champions League match against Arsenal in an interview with Radio Rai.
Percassi expressed immense pride in the new stadium, stating, “This stadium is a source of great pride for our entire family and all of Atalanta. It’s a masterpiece, a project full of meaning. There’s a lot of sacrifice and commitment behind it, but the result is extraordinary.”
He elaborated on the renovation process, saying, “By a series of strange coincidences, Atalanta became the owner of the stadium in its 110th year. From there, we started a renovation process to bring it up to UEFA standards. We first renovated the north curve in one summer. Then COVID arrived. At that precise moment, Atalanta wanted to give a symbol of hope to all Bergamo residents during a difficult period.”
Percassi highlighted the inspiration behind the stadium’s design, drawing from his experiences in England: “In my experience at Chelsea, I had the fortune to experience English stadiums. We admired that there were no barriers, complete contact between players and fans, with fans as protagonists. One of the great sources of inspiration was the yellow wall of Borussia Dortmund.”
He also praised the local government’s support, saying, “The municipality of Bergamo understood the need for a big club to invest in this type of stadium. Italy is the most beautiful country in the world, and all cities deserve a stadium that represents them at their best.”
Regarding Atalanta’s training center in Zingonia, Percassi noted, “It’s part of Atalanta’s history and is now expanding. It’s our daily home, and we’re proud to have invested in it.”
On the current season, Percassi maintained a cautious approach: “Atalanta must secure safety point by point first. As a company, we’ve given maximum opportunity to invest to make the team competitive, but it’s not in our mentality to flaunt our objectives. Last year was unique, but every season is different, and we must start over.”
He added, “Against Fiorentina, we saw an Atalanta with important potential, but it’s all the result of hard work. We’ll see where we end up. The new Champions League format will allow us to grow further and host great teams.”
Finally, commenting on the upcoming match against Arsenal, Percassi said, “We’re playing against a very strong team, one of the best in the world. It will be another exceptional evening.”
