Enrico Preziosi

Enrico Preziosi is an Italian entrepreneur. He runs a number of businesses and is most famous for being the president of football club Genoa C.F.C.

Preziosi is the president of Giochi Preziosi Group, a toys wholesaler. He was the major shareholder through Fingiochi SpA. The group is the leader in Italy toys industry, which acquired MIGLIORATI, CEPPI RATTI and GIG. In 2008–09 fiscal year the group turnover was €865.3 million, with €3.2 million net profit. On 30 June 2009 the group had €762 million invested capital (net of current liabilities).

Como

Preziosi was the president of Como since 26 February 1998 until 18 October 2003. The team promoted to Serie A in 2002 as Serie B champion. Como received capital injection of 4,165,810,500 lire (€2,151,461) on 31 May 1999 and again in next few seasos in order to promote to Serie A. Preziosi also made one of his first successful player deal, such as Tommaso Rocchi. However the team relegated a year later and bankrupted in 2005. In 2009, he was banned from football for 4 months, fined €100,000 for wrongdoing when in charge of Como.

The liquidator of Como sued Juventus in 2006 for un-paid transfer fee of Alex Pederzoli and Felice Piccolo who went back to Juventus in 2004. However Juventus claimed it had paid and sued Preziosi instead. It was settled in February 2011 after Juventus agreed to pay €0.2 million instead of alleged €1.58 million. Como acquired Pederzoli and Piccolo for €1.6 million, returned to Juventus for €20,000. FIGC suspected Juventus, which signed youth players Domenico Criscito and Francesco Volpe from Genoa in co-ownership deals for €1.9 million in 2004 (and Antonio Nocerino moved to opposite direction for €0.45M, i.e., €1.45million cash involved), were actually flopped in order to transfer the sum of €1.58million to Genoa, the new club of Preziosi. Genoa also sold Alessandro Colasante to Como in January 2004 for €750,000 but he joined Genoa as free agent. Daniele Gregori, sold to Genoa in 2003 for free, also returned to Como in January 2004 for €750,000. Genoa also signed Carlo Gervasoni from Como in 2004 for free but sold to Verona for €500,000.

Despite Preziosi sold Como, on 15 June 2005 Preziosi regain its influence on Como after Royal s.r.l. acquired Como, thus violated the rule which restricted a person cannot has a majority interests for more than 2 clubs. Como was not admitted 2005–06 Serie C2 partially due to that reason (despite finance problem partially solved) and then the club was sold to 1907 Como s.r.i., a company not owned by Preziosi and admitted to Serie D, effectively relegated 2 level (1 due to result, another 1 due to bankrupt). Como was not admitted in Serie C2 under new owner because it was too late.

Genoa

Preziosi acquired Genoa in June 2003 from the liquidator of Genoa's parent company. In October Como was sold to Aleandro Dall'Oglio. The team remained at Serie B due to Caso Catania. he also bought players from Como to Genoa, likes Saša Bjelanović, Stephen Makinwa, Giuseppe Greco, Marco Rossi, Luca Belingheri and Nikola Lazetić.

Caso Genoa–Venezia

In the next season the team acquired Argentine striker Diego Milito, who scored 21 goals, winning 2005 champion (cadetto) and promoted. However, due to Genoa having manipulated the result of the last match, Genoa 3–2 Venezia, the team was relegated and Preziosi was banned from football for 5 years by Lega Calcio. His appeal was also dismissed by internal committee of FIGC on 6 August and by the civil court in the same month. He submitted an appeal to La Camera di Conciliazione e Arbitrato per lo Sport section of Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and intervening settled on 18 January 2006. The agreement was not published but it was aimed for Genoa's future in exchange Preziosi giving up something (that season, Genoa's penalty was fixed at 3 points plus a match result annulled due to Antonio Ghomsi's case). Despite the charges being lifted by the Court of Cassation and the case returned to a lower court, the Italian Appellate court convicted Preziosi of sports fraud and gave him a four month sentence. In July 2012, it was confirmed that instead of jail, Preziosi was forbidden to enter the stadium for 6 months, so he arranged for a life-size photo of himself to be placed in his seat. He also banned by Serie C for 1 year on 14 December 2005, for violating article 11 bis of Codice di Giustizia Sportiva. However it was annulled after appeal.

Caso Como–Genoa

In June 2007 he was banned for another 5 years by Lega Calcio for the abnormal transaction between Genoa and Como. It once lifted on 20 June but upheld by the national discipline committee (Commissione disciplinare nazionale, CDN) of FIGC on 15 May 2008. He also appealed to La Camera di Conciliazione e Arbitrato per lo Sport section of CONI on 14 July 2008. A hearing was held on 18 February 2009 (initially on 24 September 2008) and the case ended on 13 September 2010 with unannounced result. On 3 October 2008 his lawyer submitted a request to probationally imprison for 23 months to end the case before went to formal judicial process in the court of Como.

Bilanciopoli

He was involved in 2000s false accounting scandal (Bilanciopoli), which clubs manipulated the price of footballers and other false account tricks in order to pass the financial tests. Preziosi was banned for 4 months and fined €15,000.

It was accused that Genoa and Udinese had inflated the price in the transfer of Rodrigue Boisfer and Valon Behrami to Udine and Mohammed Gargo and Vittorio Micolucci to Genoa in exchange in January 2004. In fact, Boisfer made Genoa registered a profit in 2003–04 financial year, he costed Genoa for over €4 million spread over 6 years and totally overweight the profit in 2003–04 season. He spent over 5.5 season on loan to other clubs in order to slowly amortize his over €4 million price tag.

Management

Since promoted to Serie A in 2007, the team best result was in 2009 as 2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifier.

Under the leadership of Preziosi, Genoa hired 10 different coaches: Roberto Donadoni, Luigi De Canio, Serse Cosmi, Francesco Guidolin, Giovanni Vavassori (twice), Attilio Perotti, Gian Piero Gasperini, Davide Ballardini, Alberto Malesani and Pasquale Marino (current). Gasperini is the longest serving coach who was sacked in November 2010.

Preziosi and other investors, provided shareholder loans to support Genoa, which the team had a net loss of €0.598 million in 2009 fiscal year (turnover: €100 million). In 2004–05 season the signing made the company had a net loss of €14 million. In 2005–06 fiscal year, Genoa played in Serie C1 and had a net loss of €11,478,146 (which Fondazione Genoa 1893 donated some property to the team)., in 2006–07 decreased to net loss of €3.72 million. and a net gain of €1,504,757 in 2007–08 season. (2008 fiscal year consists of 6 months, from 1 July to 31 December 2008 and reported was net loss €7,829,339). 2010 result was reported net losses of €16 million.

Compared to city rival Sampdoria, the management team bought better results both in finance and in the field from 2007 to 2011, which both teams in the same level (Genoa average points 2007–11: 54.5 pts vs. 52.25 pts; Sampdoria net loss 2010: €12,109,456, 2009: €16,389,970; 2008: €5,184,830). Genoa won the derby in 2011 and partially the key match that sent Sampdoria to Serie B.

Market Operation & Caso Milito–Motta

In Preziosi era, the team known for buy-low, sell-high technique, including selling Diego Milito and Thiago Motta (who was a free agent in 2008) to Internazionale in 2009 for €38.2 million, in exchange for Riccardo Meggiorini (€5 million), Robert Acquafresca (€9.5 million), Leonardo Bonucci (€3 million) and Francesco Bolzoni (€3M) Moreover, Ivan Fatić was sold back to Chievo for undisclosed fee and sold to Genoa in co-ownership deal for €200,000. (Bonucci and Meggiorini were immediately sold to Bari for €4.5 million, instantly gained €1 million in accounting (9 million minus 8). A year later Bonucci sold to Juventus for €15.5 million (gained €6 million for Genoa's portion) and Meggiorini to Bologna in co-ownership deal for €3M.) It is believed that Preziosi involved in that transaction and contacted directly with Massimo Moratti. Which, Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport reported that Inter risked a sanction due to Preziosi in fact still banned from football, and the transfer may be void (eventually not happened). On 9 July FIGC announced that Preziosi was banned for 6 months. He appealed to National Arbitration Tribunal of Sport (Tribunale Nazionale di Arbitrato per lo Sport), A hearing was scheduled on 12 November (which was moved from 19 October) but gave up after the hearing on 10 December 2010.

The team also acquired Marco Borriello from Milan in 2007 in co-ownership deal, who just valued €1.8 million, as he was suspended in 2006–07 season due to using un-sportive substances. A year later Milan bought back Borriello for €10 million (€7.5 million plus half of Davide Di Gennaro). That season Genoa also sold Cesare Bovo back to Palermo for €5 million who arrived at "The Griffin" for €2.85 million. Genoa also bought back Criscito in 2009 (in co-ownership) and in full in 2010, which cost Genoa just €5.5M and €6M (Criscito re-joined Genoa on loan for €1M in 2008) (by exchanging Bonucci's 50% rights, valued €8M). Juventus acquired Criscito at youth for €950,000 in 2004 (co-ownership) and another 50% in 2007 for €7.5M (€5.25M cash plus Konko and A.Masiello). While Konko, himself was sold for €9 million. Criscito was sold to Russia in summer 2011.

As part of Bovo deal, Genoa signed Giuseppe Biava for €500,000. Despite age 33 in 2010, he was sold to Lazio for €800,000, nearly a double. His defensive partner in 2008–09 season, Matteo Ferrari, was allowed to leave for Beşiktaş for €4.5 million in 2009, which a year before he was a free agent.

The team also sold Sergio Floccari for €8.5 million plus €0.5 million loan fee, who joined Genoa for €9.1M and Giuseppe Sculli (who joined Genoa for €300,000) to Lazio on 21 June 2010 and in January 2011. The former had a disappointing 2009–10 season and Genoa made a quick swap in mid-season, which saw David Suazo from Inter to Genoa and Floccari to Lazio to replace Inter bounded Goran Pandev. That window Genoa also made another 3-way swap, which Acquafresca returned from Atalanta, Atalanta signed Nicola Amoruso from Parma and Parma signed Hernán Crespo from Genoa.

Genoa once contracted 5 of the 23 men squad at 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, namely Acquafresca, Criscito, Ranocchia, Salvatore Bocchetti and Alberto Paloschi (in 2010–11 season), the first 4 of them contracted in the same time in 2009–10 season, plus half owned Italy internationals Bonucci (who travelled to 2010 FIFA World Cup), Genoa owned most of the talented defender (centre-back) of 1986 and 1987 age group at that time (Ranocchia born in 1988). The only centre-back in the 2009 U-21 Euro which was not owned by Genoa was Marco Andreolli.

The team member was shaky compared to traditional bigger team. For example, Genoa had changed its goalkeeper from Rubinho to Marco Amelia, Eduardo and Sebastien Frey in 2011–12 season. The longest serving keeper in recent years is Alessio Scarpi, a backup keeper. In the forwards, Luca Toni, regular starter in 2010–11 season, Gergely Rudolf who often as sub, were released (to Juventus) and loaned out in January 2011 respectively. In exchange, Antonio Floro Flores and Mauro Boselli were borrowed. When a player was sold, the team find an replacement. Despite the sales of Bocchetti and Papastathopoulos in 2010–11 season, Dario Dainelli and Kaladze replaced them. The team concerned lesser goals and also scored lesser goals compared to 2009–10 season. None of a Genoa player scored more than 10 goals since the left of Milito. Only Floro Flores able to score 10 goals for Genoa in half-season.

2010–11 season

In 2010 Genoa acquired young talents Mattia Destro as part of Andrea Ranocchia's deal to Internazionale. In January 2011 Inter borrowed Houssine Kharja and loaned Samuele Longo to Genoa. Likes his national team-mate, Bocchetti was sold in 2010 for a fee much higher than Genoa bought, for €9.6 million.

While with Inter's city rival, Genoa made a series move to sign young players from Milan, namely Giacomo Beretta (50% for €4 million), Nnamdi Oduamadi (50%, €3.5M), Rodney Strasser (50%, €2.25M) and Gianmarco Zigoni (50%, €3.75M), plus experienced Kakha Kaladze on free transfer; Genoa loaned Marco Amelia, sold Sokratis Papastathopoulos (€14M), Kevin-Prince Boateng (50%, €5.25M) to Milan. It made to deal involved little cash and benefited Milan on 2010 fiscal result, as they profited on selling players. In the next summer, Milan bought back almost all the young players, including Alberto Paloschi (except Beretta). It also signed Amelia and sold Papastathopoulos back to Genoa.

In January 2011, Genoa made another swap, which Luca Antonelli and Paloschi were swapped with Francesco Modesto and Raffaele Palladino (valued €3 million), plus a certain sum to Parma, Antonelli would become the heir of Criscito in the left flank, while Genoa profited on selling Paloschi 6 months later. Genoa acquired Palladino for €5 million in co-ownership deal with Juventus.

In summer 2011, Genoa and Milan made a similar deal, which Milan signed Stephan El Shaarawy on €10 million in co-ownership deal, which Genoa got Alexander Merkel on €5 million in co-ownership deal.

Other ban and fine

Preziosi also banned 2 months in July 2008 due to the sale of Domenico Criscito to Juventus and acquisition of Abdoulay Konko and Andrea Masiello in January 2007.

Preziosi banned for 10 days as he contact Siena for Erjon Bogdani's price. He also banned for 10 days in November 2008 as he entered the field in the last match of 2007–08 Serie A. He also banned for 20 days as Preziosi for the event on 21 October 2007 (against Juventus) and on 26 October 2008 (enter locker room during the match against Inter). Preziosi was fined €100,000 for transfer irregularity in May 2012.