
American financier Robert Platek has completed his purchase of the Serie A side Spezia Calcio.
The deal sees Spezia become the fifth Serie A club to be run by an American ownership group.
Who are Spezia?
Spezia are an Italian team who were promoted to Serie A at the end of last season.
They currently sit 16th in the league, with five wins from 21 games.
They become the sixth Serie A team under north American ownership. AC Milan, Fiorentina, AS Roma and Parma are American-owned and Canadian Joey Saputo is in charge at Bologna.
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Who is Platek?
Gabriele Volpi agreed to sell the club outright to the family from New York after steering Spezia to their first ever season in the Italian top flight.
Robert Platek is a partner at the private equity firm MSD Capital, which was set up in 1998 to manage the Dell family fortune. MSD have been increasingly active in football in recent months, lending money to Derby County, Southampton, Sunderland and Burnley.
A Platek family statement said the investment in Spezia was personal and unrelated to the company, however.
Philip Platek, Robert’s brother, has been named Spezia vice-chairman. Robert Platek purchased the Danish top flight side Sønderjysk Elitesport last year.
What has been said?
“Serie A football is in an elite class of its own, and it has been our long-held ambition to find the right opportunity to partner with a special club in Italy,” the Plateks said in a statement.
Coach Vincenzo Italiano will be retained by the club.
“It was important for the family to keep in place the current management team that achieved the club’s promotion from Serie B,” the Platek statement added.
“As such, all club management, including current President, Stefano Chisoli, Sport Director, Mauro Meluso and Manager, Vincenzo Italiano will remain in their positions.”
(Photo: By Getty Images for Lega Serie B)
Lo #SpeziaCalcio annuncia l’acquisizione del Club da parte della famiglia Platek
➡️ https://t.co/HiejzL5QlI pic.twitter.com/q4S1Iu0bqa
— Spezia Calcio (@acspezia) February 11, 2021
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