Juventus President Andrea Agnelli revealed he kept a copy of a Tuttosport article from the Bianconeri’s match against Shamrock Rovers: ‘It reminds me where we started from.‘
Agnelli spoke with the Turin based daily in an exclusive interview, recounting what the paper has come to mean to him over the years.
“If I think of Tuttosport I think of a newspaper that has accompanied me all my life,” he began, “and this is due to the nature of the newspaper itself, that is, to be the newspaper that follows most of all Juventus, which was and is the team of my heart.
“So it was the newspaper that I stole from my father, when I was seven or eight years old, because it dealt more broadly with the topic that interested me at that age. So when I think of Tuttosport I think of the theft.”
….Then he took it back?
“I think that by the time I stole it, he had already read it for some time, he got up at half past five!”
What are the difficulties and what are the advantages of having a newspaper that follows the club so closely ?
“In the modern era in which we live, in which there is also a lot of disintermediation with respect to traditional media, the advantage is that of offering an exercise of transparency, because you follow us more, you are more present, therefore there must be transparency with respect to events of the organisaton and the sports part, this is because you are always following us every day.
“This I see as an advantage. Sometimes the fact that the two identities are confused can be a disadvantage: that is, the fact that you follow our events so closely suggests outside that your position, your vision, is also inevitably that of the club.”
When does Tuttosport make you angry?
“Not on the transfer market because I don’t follow it, maybe it makes others angry, but not me. Then getting angry is not the right word. I repeat: it is when the thesis of Tuttosport is confused with that of Juventus, it is not always the case. But you have made a precise choice of following the transfer market of the top Italian club, and this is a legitimate choice.”
Is there a first page you are particularly fond of?
“‘La prossima’. As in sports results, when we achieve one, I usually always think of the next one. So when we reach a goal, I enjoy the newspaper, but I think of the first page that will celebrate the next success. Of course, I don’t deny that on that day it’s nice to read the titles like the pieces that are celebratory, but then I start thinking about the next victory.”
Are you a collector of front pages or significant newspapers for Juventus?
“No, I’m not. However, I keep an article from Tuttosport. It is the chronicle of the match played in the summer of 2010, in Ireland against Shamrock Rovers for the Europa League preliminaries and it reminds me, every time I reread it, where we started and where we are now.”
How would you define Juventus’ relationship with the media in general? It is a topic that inspires many fans.
“A fair relationship. For my part, certainly fair. On the transfer market there is also a ‘game’ between the parties, perhaps because it is a topic that makes everyone dream and excites, people can fantasize about what will come.
“As far as I am concerned, that is Andrea and Juventus as a club, it is a loyal relationship. When I compare myself with the media, when I compare myself with who I believe has understood that when I say certain things, those are truths. In short, the fact of having such a loyal relationship is important. I expect, institutionally, from the media in general just as much loyalty in return.”
If you were a journalist, who would you like to interview?
“In the world of football I find it hard to choose. Of course, if I were a journalist I would like to work big issues, investigations and in-depth analysis.”
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