Quick Facts
GeminiBiography
Maurizio Zamparini (born 9 June 1941 in Sevegliano, Udine) is an Italian businessman and the previous owner and chairman of Italian football club U.S. Città di Palermo.
Zamparini has business interest in several fields, with Emmezeta department stores being the most important one. He entered into football in 1987, after having bought then Serie C2 club Venezia, saving it from a possible bankruptcy. His investments in the football club led Venezia to reach Serie A in a few years. He sold Venezia in 2002 in order to buy then-Serie B club Palermo from A.S. Roma chairman Franco Sensi with the goal to bring the Sicilian team back to Serie A in a very few years, a goal that was achieved in 2004.
In April 2012 he was suspended one year for involvement in third-party ownership; however, this was shortened to 5 months after appeal.
On 27 February 2017, Zamparini stepped down as chairman of Palermo after 15 years in charge with over 40 managerial changes (the last one being the appointment of Luis Diego López as head coach in place of resigning Eugenio Corini a month previous), announcing he had formally sold his controlling stake to an unspecified Anglo-American fund.