Agnelli Family Refuses Rp18 Trillion Acquisition Offer from Crypto Giant, Juventus Remains in Old Hands

Andrea Agnelli, one of Juventus's long-time owners (photo: x @The_AJC_ ·)

Juventus owner firmly rejects takeover bid worth around 1 billion euros or nearly 1.2 billion US dollars (around Rp18 trillion) from crypto company Tether. This decision ensures that the most successful club in the history of the Italian Serie A remains under the control of the Agnelli family, which has held Juventus for more than a century.

Tether, a crypto company based in El Salvador, has made an offer to buy the Agnelli family's majority stake through Exor, the family's holding company. However, the offer was immediately dismissed.

"Juventus, our history, and our values are not for sale," said Exor CEO John Elkann, in a video message posted on Juventus' official website. Elkann emphasized his family's emotional bond with the Turin club, which has been in place for 102 years and involves four generations.

English:

According to Elkann, the Agnelli family will continue to support Juventus and focus on building the club's future. This statement comes amid Juve's transition period, which has not won the Serie A since winning nine consecutive titles in 2012-2020.

This season, Juventus started the competition with less convincing results. The club fired Igor Tudor and appointed Luciano Spalletti as the new coach last month. Spalletti openly welcomed the club owner's firm stance.

"It's great to feel the strength and passion of John Elkann and his family for this club again," Spalletti said ahead of the Serie A match against Bologna. He added that the task of the team and staff is now to repay that trust with real results on the field.

The rejection of Tether's bid also underlines Juventus' unique position in the Italian football landscape. A number of big clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, and AS Roma are now owned by foreign investors. Juventus, along with Napoli owned by film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis, are the two giants that are still entirely in the hands of Italian owners.

Exor reiterated its stance in an official statement that it has no intention of selling its stake in Juventus to any party. For the Agnelli family, Juventus is not just a business asset in the era of modern football full of investment funds and cryptocurrencies, but a historical legacy. In short, in Turin, Agnelli's version of "diamond hands" still survives.