Damien Comolli lower a bruised however defiant determine on the Monetary Occasions Soccer Summit, talking publicly for the primary time since Juventus’ heartbreaking Champions League elimination by the hands of Galatasaray, an evening he admits will take years to course of.
“It should take years for me to recover from it,” the Juventus CEO mentioned plainly, with , setting the tone for a candid deal with that touched on refereeing controversies, possession stability, and the strategic roadmap he believes will ultimately return the membership to the summit of European soccer.
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Comolli wasted little time in addressing the that successfully ended Juventus’ hopes of finishing a outstanding comeback. His frustration was barely hid. “There was one other very irritating refereeing resolution,” he mentioned.
“I don’t perceive how, for a recreation of this magnitude, they despatched a referee who has solely taken cost of ten Champions League matches in his total profession. One other extremely irritating crimson card that was by no means a crimson card, and we find yourself out of the Champions League. That recreation will harm for a lot of, a few years, doubtless.”
TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Referee João Pinheiro reveals the crimson card to Lloyd Kelly of Juventus FC in the course of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photograph by Stefano Guidi/Getty Pictures)
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He added a wry reference to a earlier incident involving Inter, joking that he would attempt to keep away from a UEFA suspension to go alongside the one he had already acquired from the FIGC.
But regardless of the uncooked emotion, Comolli was eager to stress that one consequence, nevertheless painful, wouldn’t alter the membership’s decision-making philosophy. It’s a stance that speaks to one thing deeper about how he believes elite sport needs to be run.
“A single recreation mustn’t change the best way we expect,” he mentioned. “We use information as a result of information helps us make rational choices in an extremely emotional and irrational atmosphere. I all the time inform individuals, we’re paid to offer feelings, paid to create feelings, and paid to don’t have any feelings after we make choices.”
Juventus CEO Comolli: ‘Juventus should hold Spalletti’
On the query of what Juventus have to do to return to successful methods, Comolli’s reply was unequivocal, and pointed instantly at Spalletti.
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“If I needed to reply as we speak, I’d say continuity,” he mentioned. “It’s important that we hold the identical supervisor, the identical technique, the identical fashion of play. This membership has had six, seven, eight totally different coaches over two or three years. The crew is discovering its identification beneath . Continuity, in alignment, in fashion, within the gamers who’re exhibiting their high quality, might be what we want if we need to succeed.”
TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Head Coach Luciano Spalletti of Juventus FC seems on in the course of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photograph by Stefano Guidi/Getty Pictures)
The CEO additionally supplied a revealing perception into his relationship with proprietor John Elkann, who works for the Agnelli household who’ve owned Juventus since 1923, the longest steady possession of any sports activities franchise on this planet, as Comolli proudly famous.
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He described a formative early dialog during which Elkann distilled the membership’s values into three phrases, phrases says he intends to take to his grave.
“I exploit them continuously as a reference level,” he mentioned.
“To remain aligned with him, and to align the remainder of the membership with the household’s values.”
SPA, BELGIUM – JULY 28: John Elkann, Chairman and CEO of Ferrari seems on, on the grid previous to the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. (Photograph by Mark Thompson/Getty Pictures)
As regards to Tether’s minority stake and any hypothesis a few potential sale, Comolli was emphatic.
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“John has been very clear, he won’t ever promote the membership. He was within the dressing room on Wednesday night time to personally thank the gamers and the supervisor. He’s extremely concerned, financially, emotionally, strategically.”
Comolli closed with a mirrored image on the burden of the job itself, one he clearly feels with depth.
“What retains me awake at night time? Juventus,” he mentioned.
“575 million followers globally, 200 million followers. I fall asleep fascinated about Juventus, I dream about Juventus, I get up Juventus. The accountability to do issues the proper method is immense. I need to make the entire thing good and produce the membership increased each single day.”