Bologna F.C. 1909 Officially Announces New Ownership

BOLOGNA, Italy, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mr. Joe Tacopina and Mr. Joey Saputo announced today their purchase of Bologna F.C. 1909 at an official press conference at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. The Board of Directors ratified the sale, and the transaction was made official yesterday. Tacopina will assume the role of President and Chairman of the club.

Park Lane (led by Managing Director Rick Perna) acted as financial advisor, Dorsey & Whitney LLP (led by partner Stuart Goldfarb) acted as legal counsel, Chiomenti Studio Legale (led by partner Salvo Arena) acted as special Italian legal counsel, Andrew M. Nestor acted as advisor to BFC1909 USA SPV, LLC, and M Style Marketing (led by Robert Striar) acted as the strategic and marketing partner to the ownership group.

Bologna F.C. 1909 has a storied history, having won the Italian league championship seven times, making them the sixth most successful team in the history of the league. Tacopina is now the 30^th President of the club, most recently serving as the Vice President, Board Member and Part Owner of A.S. Roma.

"We are humbled to be the caretakers of this storied club as it has been a dream. We have worked tirelessly to make today a possibility, and our work will never cease. We believe in this club, we believe in its future and we believe in our fans," said Tacopina. "The ownership is committed to being a part of this team and this community for the long term."

Saputo is the founding and current President of the Montreal Impact, a Major League Soccer club in Canada, and spearheaded the construction of Stade Saputo, the team's current home.

"We are dedicated to moving up to Serie A, and we will invest that time and effort into this football club and the fans. We have assembled one of the strongest management and executive groups in football to support our team on the field," said Saputo. "We intend to work closely with the city and Mayor Merola, especially with regards to renovations to the stadium."

Marco Di Vaio, a current player for Montreal Impact and former Bologna FC star, attended the press conference and presented both Tacopina and Saputo with personalized Bologna F.C. 1909 jerseys.

Tacopina will be in attendance at the team's next game, which will take place at home against Varese this Saturday. 

Forza Bologna!