“The deal is done”

Four small words, but ones bearing huge significance as AS Roma became the first Serie A club to come under the control of a foreign owner. Di Benedetto himself seemed very excited to finally put pen to paper on the deal as he told Friday nights press conference;

“Thanks to all, I’m glad that you’re here. I hope that you have loved this place [in Boston] and ate fantastic fish [A Boston joke]. The agreement is concluded; we’re waiting only to cross the Is and dot the Ts on all the regulatory aspects. Things are difficult to obtain, were difficult to obtain, but I never thought of giving up. Something like AS Roma is great, thanks to the patience of my society I was able to overcome all the difficulties. The words of Berlusconi? I am grateful for those. Our objective is to have the same success he had with Milan.

The thing I would take to Rome from Boston and vice versa? From Roma to Boston I would bring the Colosseum and to Roma, the Red Sox’s stadium. I was not expecting all of this strong attention and so much passion. I knew the great passion of calcio in Italy, and it’s because of this that we have undertaken this effort. I’ve never played soccer but my father played in the soccer league and my children played calcio. The passion for soccer has grown every stronger [in his family].

The Financial Fair Play rules? With the imminent arrival of the new UEFA regulations it will be more important to promote youth, but at the same time, it will be important to have a great scouting team able to go around the world to find young talent. There are many good Romans around and  it will be nice to return their desire to play for Roma. How important is the business aspect? Incredibly important. I love Roma- it’s a splendid city- and we want to do something great for the city. My father loves Italy and all the Italian cities.”

His plans are thus quite exhaustive. He seems aware of the Financial Fair Play rules; despite his previous promise of six players this summer, he also plans to invest extensively in youth. His love for the sport shines through his family, although he personally has never played it. Nevertheless, the wait is finally over for Romanisti and the future can truly begin with RomAmerica.