Roma to be sold?

[Forza_Roma]

Players avoiding the potential sale...

Esposito: Roma players staying clear of Soros issue
tribalfooball.com - April 30, 2008

Roma midfielder Mauro Esposito says the players are steering clear of takeover issues.

Asked about American billionaire George Soros' pursuit of the club, Esposito remarked: "For now, the Sensi family is in charge. But we do not talk about this in the locker room. Corporate affairs is talk we leave to others."

[Forza_Roma]

Looks like it will get very "Windy" in Rome lol...

Egyptian enters Roma frame
Thursday 1 May, 2008

An Egyptian businessman is in pole position to take over Roma, according to Italian sources.

The Giallorossi look certain to change owners because the club’s parent company Italpetroli have debts of around £290m.

Administrative delegate Rosella Sensi seemed set to bid farewell to the club with American tycoons George Soros and John Joseph Fisher reportedly considering bids, but there have been no concrete developments.

Now it seems that Egyptian businessman Naguib Onsi Sawiris – chairman of Italian telecom operator Wind who are already Roma’s main sponsor – could step up the to mark.

It is estimated that Sawiris has a fortune of nearly £10 billion and could financially outmuscle Fisher and Soros.

Sensi is expected to stay at the club in a managerial role even if a takeover is completed, but she is currently under police protection from supporters who believe she is trying to prevent the club’s sale.

[sinoy1]

Im liking that one.Lets get this season over with already so we can change ownership.

[dukeofdavinci]

hooh the oil money seems handy, but we the car users arent feeling hand at all wth soaring prices

[Oliver_Kahn]

Are you guys all in favour of a possible take over ?

I mean, I remember the thing with Man Utd, so many people were protesting..

[dukeofdavinci]

im a bit 50-50 but its known fact that the sensi are in heaps of debt and so far they are doing "just" enough to see roma survive and not a championship winning side.

if a take over is to be made i only wish the future owners will work together wth the current management we have to make sure we dont have a fracas like whats happening wth the dippers.those kind of things can destroy even the most successful club.money isnt always going to win u trophys but wth the proper handling/management it can be done.

so im practically ok wth a take over as long as the party thats taking over knows all bout the club, about football, our traditions, about how things work, fans players and all.

a lot of romans including me are just afraid a take over will lead us to more trouble thats all since most take over we are hearing of late is not of italian origin.thats why they are a bit on the moods.but if roma did go trough a take over and we can emulate what united have done(in terms of take over and management)then i think we italians can rest assured our club is in safe hands

[Forza_Roma]

I've heard some fans opposed to the takeover, but majority are for because the know the Sensi's lack the financial backing to really make an impact. As a fan, who admires the Sensi family for their devotion to the club...i would hope for new owners to give Roma the financial support to keep up with the bigger clubs.

[dukeofdavinci]

Perrotta: Money talks...
Saturday 3 May, 2008

While Roma deny receiving a new £220m offer from George Soros, Simone Perrotta warns football has become dominated by big spending clubs.

Today’s newspaper reports claimed Inner Circle Sports magnate Soros had sent a letter to the Giallorossi upping his takeover bid to £220m.

That would be £150m to the Sensi family’s Italpetroli company plus another £70m to the various minority shareholders who own 33 per cent of the club.

Only a few hours after the publication of this story, Roma released a statement denying they had received any letter or communication.

Some sections of the support have come out in favour of the takeover bid, believing more money would enable them to compete on the transfer market and therefore in Serie A and Europe too.

“The English clubs have a stratospheric economic power and it will be increasingly difficult to compete with them for international titles,” warned midfielder Perrotta.

“Every year they sign the top players on the market by spending sums the rest of the continent cannot match.

“Economic power means a great deal in football now and allows them to take the best players in circulation. This is why the English sides are dominating in Europe right now.”

In a year when three of the four Champions League semi-finalists are from the Premiership, it is no coincidence that half the richest clubs in the world are based in Britain.

According to a recent survey by Forbes, Manchester United are the richest side worth $1,800m, while Roma are in 11th place at $434m

Perrotta, who was born in Ashton and spent the first five years of his life in England, hopes that won’t necessarily be the case in the peninsula.

“I don’t think Inter are so superior to us and we have proved that we greatly reduced the gap separating the teams last season, not just in terms of points.

“From Christmas onwards it was clear there wasn’t that much between us and compared to last year the values of the two squads more or less balanced out.”

perrotta on the o ngoing take over talks.wow we are 11th richest!!now that shows we are among the big fishes

[sinoy1]

Im also on the fence on this one.Ill never forget how Sensi paid 54mill from his own pocket to decrease the debt and pay for the expenses when times were tough.But I also remember how the players didnt get paid for weeks because we were going through some rough times.

Roma symbolizes the common people.We arent the rich flashy "oh we'll get this player from this nation and that one from there as well" we're the type that hard working never give up attitude and always the under dogs.I can see why some fans want to be or remain the underdogs and challenge for the scudetto(although a 4th place club in Italy is hardly the underdogs).Yet at the same time there are some(erm...most...) who want to challenge the CL and Scudetto but that will require some heavy investments...somethin that the Sensi's havent done since the year we won back in 2000/2001 where we brought in Batigol for a big fee from Fiorentina.

The Sensi's also have their debt.With a new youth team structure working out ,like Ajax, that cost us hundreds of millions and a few key transfers ( cicinho vucinic Brighi) I think its time we change ownership and start pushing the top 3.FFS tottenham just got Modric for a hefty amount.That says alot about the middle clubs in the EPL compared to Serie A.

[dukeofdavinci]

FS tottenham just got Modric for a hefty amount.

hoho it wont be possible if it wasnt for united's money going in to them.the sale of carrick gained them alot of cash despite losing a good player.

[Forza_Roma]

Apparently, a report yesterday stated that Soros offered Roma 280M...also Roma stock increased yesterday as well.

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

I bet Rosella comes out and dismisses this report...but rumours suggest that Soros will likely pay around 280m for Roma.

Soros close to Roma
Wednesday 28 May, 2008

The American Press is reporting that Hungarian-born philanthropist George Soros is close to buying Roma.

The New York Post believes Joseph Tacopina, one of America's best lawyers and an associate of Soros, is expected in the Italian capital this week.

“A deal should be done by Friday,” wrote the Post. “An exact figure of purchase is, as yet, unknown.”

Italpetroli, the company that holds a majority stake in Roma, had denied the existence of a bid on Saturday and asked the Press to stop speculating.

But the oil giant is in nearly £300m worth of debt and Consob, the Italian companies and stock exchange watchdog, has recommended the club's sale.

Roma's share price fell by 11.26 per cent today, prompting the media to speculate that a deal is in the offing.

[azzurri]

Here is the New York post article that is mentioned. They never identify the sourcs, but s/he says some interesting thing's.

High-powered New York criminal defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina is on the verge of buying AS Roma - Rome's storied pro soccer team, The Post has learned.

Tacopina, who's being backed by international financier George Soros, is jetting to Rome today to put the finishing touches on the deal, which has been in the works for months, according to a source familiar with the deal.

"Joe is purchasing the Roma soccer team with George Soros as his main investor, and [Tacopina's] going to be the president of the team," the source said.

"This is just huge. In Italy, soccer's everything, and in Rome the Roma team's the biggest thing right now," the source said. "Tacopina's very excited. It's a dream come true."

Tacopina, who has been frequently flying to Italy to negotiate the purchase, "had to speak with the highest levels of the Italian government to get this approved," the source said.

The dapper Manhattan litigator - who will maintain his law practice - expects to close the purchase of Roma "by the end of the week," the source said.

The publicly held team's majority shareholders, the Sensi family, have agreed to the deal at a time when its patriarch is ailing.

The purchase price was not known.

But a source said Tacopina intends to aggressively pursue marketing ventures to boost the team's financial fortunes.

"This team, as huge as it is already, can be that much bigger," the source said.

Tacopina, who frequently appears as a legal expert on television talk shows, has represented a slew of big-name clients, among them ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, accused cop killer and "A Bronx Tale" actor Lillo Brancato, and Joran van der Sloot, who was suspected in the mysterious disappearance of American high-school girl Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

The lawyer, whose father was born in Rome, has long been a major fan of Roma and attended soccer's World Cup final in Berlin in 2006.

One of soccer-mad Italy's most popular teams, Roma just finished the season in second place behind Inter Milan in the nation's top division, Serie A. The 81-year-old squad has won three Serie A titles in its history, and frequently competes at the highest levels of European tournaments.

Unlike England's Premier League, where foreign ownership of major teams has become common, Italy's top squads tend to be owned by Italians, so the purchase by Tacopina and Soros, who is Hungarian by birth, is a significant change.

But Tacopina, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, may get a warm reception because he holds Italian citizenship and has a law office in Milan.

GOOOOOOAL FOR LAWYER - New York Post

Based on market activity, it's looking like u will be sold. This week your stock climbed to its highest level since 2002.

[Jager]

He's buying the club at the right time, they are peaking now.