Several American owners of Italian Serie A clubs gathered in New York for the ‘Italian Sports Day in the World’ event, held at the historic Park Avenue building housing the Italian Consulate. Among the attendees were Stephen Pagliuca, Gerry Cardinale, and Alejandro Cano, Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe for Oaktree Capital Management’s Global Opportunities strategy, now at the helm of Inter Milan.
During his speech, as reported by fcinternews.it (via Calciomercato), Cano, speaking directly from San Siro, addressed the stadium issue, stating, “We know that to compete with top European clubs, a privately-owned stadium is fundamental.”
Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of Atalanta, commented on the broader economic context, saying, “The Italian economy is growing, and there are great opportunities, but Serie A needs to make a qualitative leap to return to being the reference league in the world.”
Milan owner Gerry Cardinale emphasized the need for a long-term approach, asserting, “We need a longer-range strategy that doesn’t stop at winning a single match.”
