05 December 2024
Juventus CEO Maurizio Scanavino spoke about the club in detail during a long interview, hosted by the official Serie A radio station, with journalist Marco Bellinazzo.
Here are the key themes that were discussed during the 'Goal Economy' segment of the show:
FOOTBALL AND THE MEDIA
“Football and the media are two fascinating worlds, in which passion is fundamental; they both require specific organisational skills to enable everything to run smoothly. I see a lot of similarities between the two worlds: Juventus is a company that has a corporate part and a sporting part, which are very often related to each other, and in which the human factor is very important. There is also the football business model, which is increasingly linked to the world of media, with regards to the development and monetisation methods in the digital sphere.
JUVENTUS' FINANCIAL SITUATION
“As we stated at the recent shareholders' meeting, the loss for the season just gone was close to €200 million. However, if we analyse the numbers in detail, between the lost revenue from not participating in European competitions and extraordinary charges, a large part of our loss is not related to ordinary operations. So, as I also said at the meeting, this year's real loss should be considered around €70 million, with a recovery of more than 50% compared to the previous year. We also see a very good trajectory for the future: clearly, there are still some elements of unpredictability linked to sporting performance, but the main objective is to maintain the right balance between sustainability and competitiveness. We also endured a period where the sum of the two items, salaries and depreciation, was particularly high. We want to continue to guarantee high levels of competitiveness and be the club with the highest budget to invest in sporting performance: and of course to do this, you have to make the right choices, in the right market and win games, and you also need a bit of luck, but the foundations are there and we are certainly not on a downwards trajectory.
SQUAD BUILDING
“We are at a time in world football when there are significant differences with clubs that charge a lot, and this has created a phenomenon of disproportion and inflation in the cost of players. I believe that it is not financially healthy to go beyond a certain limit, also because football is a team game, in which the best players certainly make a difference, but in which there are also many other elements to consider. That's why, together with [Cristiano] Giuntoli and Thiago Motta, we are working to create a team with many strong players, without ruling out, of course, the presence of exceptional players who can make the difference.
NEW PATHS
“If a solution could be found for the salary cap, it would be important for all teams, it would increase competitiveness.
HOW TO INCREASE THE CLUB'S BUDGET
“I have found a very positive situation from the point of view of infrastructure, assets, brand and merchandising. For example the stadium: last season we had a record revenue net of European competitions and this year we are aiming for an all-time record. For us it is a fundamental asset, with a fantastic level of hospitality, and for the future we have many ideas to improve the fan experience.
“We also must not forget our work on brand, merchandising, communication and social media: the Juventus Creator Lab project is a real laboratory for the creation of digital content, daily products for social media, and also original series.
“We have almost reached the figure of 200 million followers worldwide and positioned Juventus as the number one Italian brand in terms of social media following. This is a very powerful tool for communicating Juventus’ values and sporting performance, which is already adding value to sponsors’ return on investment, and which will also become an element of monetisation through the dynamics of the digital world.
THE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
“We believe it is a very positive opportunity for the club and also for the players to gain experience and compete on the world stage, a moment of great visibility that Juventus can have all over the world. Of course, it is a competition that brings with it a revenue stream for which we are in close negotiations, together with the other ECA teams, and by now we should be well on our way. We have a projection regarding that and we hope to have been conservative in our estimations.
THE SHIRT SPONSOR
"We have several negotiations underway, so we imagine that by the end of the season at the latest we will have secured the shirt sponsor, and participating in a competition such as the Club World Cup adds an extra element, not only for this season, but as it will occur every four years, because contracts with sponsors are multi-year contracts and we have an interest in finding long-term partners. If we had made other choices we would already have a shirt sponsor, but we wanted to raise awareness of a very important organisation, Save The Children, with whom we have been involved for years and we are very happy with the visibility they are getting.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE YOUTH SECTOR
“We think that young people need time and a suitable context to express themselves in order to be able to perform to the best of their ability. That's why we believe in the Next Gen project, which offers exactly that competitiveness, challenge, and opportunity to develop to our players within the Juve family, not necessarily thinking of short-term needs. The investment must therefore be seen and evaluated over the long term, and in our opinion, this is the right path.
THE WOMEN'S TEAM
“It is a project that has existed for several years, but is perhaps still in its infancy, especially from an economic point of view. What is missing in Italy, but not just here, is a development of the commercial side that would bring resources and improve women's football even more. We will certainly continue to be present, to invest, this year among others, our team is doing very well.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLUB
“Around 500 people work at Juventus, taking into account all types of contracts: it's a significant organisation, which is also well represented by our physical structures, on which we are not planning any major modifications at the moment, because they are truly avant-garde, modern and professional, such as Vinovo, for example.”
