When Rocco B. Commisso completed his purchase of the Italian soccer club A.C.F. There would be no shortage of effort to match the ambitions, he said at the time. But like other American owners who have invested in Italian soccer, Commisso, 70, has quickly learned that the challenge of running a team in Italy is a far more difficult undertaking than simply buying one was. Like other American owners, for instance, he has found his grand hopes for a new stadium become tangled in red tape and nostalgia. After that speedy agreement to close the deal last June, Fiorentina’s owners discovered a curious set of agreements — contracts signed by the club’s former executives just before the team changed hands.

Source: New York Times July 03, 2020 07:52 UTC