The Boston-based private equity tycoon is leading a group of American investors who are expected to sign a contract to acquire the club tomorrow. DiBenedetto is a partner of New England Sports Ventures, which last year acquired Liverpool of the Barclays Premier League in England.
DiBenedetto said the first priority would be “to balance the books, to bring the club back into financial fair play given that we're presently outside” and then confirmed he would like to relocate the club from the Stadio Olimpico, which was built for the 1960 Olympics in the city.
“We need a new and different stadium – an English-style stadium that motivates the players,” he explained. “Roma doesn't have the adapted structure. Olimpico doesn't do justice to the passion of the fans, the seats are too far from the pitch and the atmosphere is lost.”
In the long-term, DiBenedetto added that he wanted “a club that knows how to get the best out of new technology and communication and the social media, to reach every corner of the globe, which will enable us to sell our merchandising better and to increase our revenues to buy the best players.”
Italpetroli – the Sensi family holding company that owns Roma and was taken over by UniCredit last year – confirmed in December that it was considering a number of non-binding offers for the club. Roma won the last of its three national championships in 2001 and the team is currently sixth in Serie A, 12 points behind leaders AC Milan.
