Roma CEO John Galantic: “Roma has always been my passion.”

Roma CEO John Galantic: “Roma has always been my passion.” Roma CEO John Galantic spoke at the Trento Sports Festival. The Giallorossi manager addressed a wide range of topics, from his relationship with the Friedkins to news about the new stadium in Pietralata. On his early days in Rome: “My adventure began on the first day of training camp in Wales. I threw myself into the busy transfer market, with a demanding colleague by my side (Gasperini, ed.). It was a baptism of fire. As a club, we didn’t wait for others to come along; we went for the ball. We worked well in the transfer market. I joined at a positive moment after our return to the Champions League.” On football memories: “The first is Totti, so many poetic moments… for me, as a fan, the volley with his back to the goal, where only he can see, is inexplicable. There are small moments; I remember the derby when Cafu gave Nedved a triple sombrero. Also, Soulé’s opener against Atalanta… so many beautiful moments.” On the Friedkins: “I was struck by their enthusiasm for this project. It’s hard for a Roman to understand the idea of ​​staying silent, but Dan Friedkin has created an empire spanning several sectors. I was surprised to see that as time goes by, you don’t find interviews even on other topics… that’s how it is. They’re reserved and they asked me to speak. I’m always in for the games, and you don’t make these investments if you don’t believe in them.” On working for Roma: “I was the CEO of a luxury company in Milan. I’d been talking to the Friedkins for years and decided it was too exciting a challenge. This isn’t a career choice; I’ve made a career. This is passion, but it’s not enough; a few years ago, I could have come here. You have to have the belief that you can win something. I got the belief from the owners, the commitment, and the resources to do something big. It was an easy decision for me.” On the new stadium: “This facility will allow us to make a significant economic leap in four years. The Olimpico is full of memories, but it wasn’t designed for football, that’s for sure. We imagine the Curva Sud being much less ramshackle and much more compact. This is the fourth attempt to build a new stadium in Rome, and we’ve succeeded with significant investments. It’s also important for the country: investments of €1.3 billion haven’t been as large since the post-war period.”