Despite recently acquiring half of the shares of Atalanta, Stephen Pagliuca is part of a consortium that is trying to buy Chelsea. The CEO of Bain Capital stated that the pursuit does not change the agreement with La Dea. However, the UEFA bylaws raise some questions.
The co-chairman issued a note: “We wish to reaffirm the commitment of our family to Atalanta and the Percassi family. We are long-term partners and we are excited to continue the success of the club.”
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pagliuca and his entourage studied the rulebook and believe there would be no issues with him having a role at both Chelsea and Atalanta. It is uncertain what the technical solution would be since UEFA does not allow it. If they found the situation unlawful, just one team would be able to participate in the continental competitions.
Pagliuca is joined in his attempt by NBA president Larry Tenenbaum, San Francesco Passport Capital CEO John Burbank and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. The group is one of the four finalists to take over the Blues following the sanctions against Roman Abramovic: “We are ready to make a substantial and credible offer, abiding by the regulations of the Premier League, the British government, and UEFA.”
The American tycoon purchased 55 percent of La Dea holding, which owns 86 percent of Atalanta. The Bergamaschi instituted their new board of directors earlier this week. Four members have ties with the Boston Celtics shareholder and three to the Percassi family.