Venezia FC in Venice, Italy, has been a popular club since their founding in 1907, however, after facing financial troubles they were on the brink of going bankrupt, until superstar music artist Drake stepped in to lend a hand.
Drake Helps historic Italian Soccer Team ‘Venezia FC’ Raise $40 Million To Avoid Bankruptcy pic.twitter.com/gJSokwm5jc
— keep6ixsolid (@keep6ixsolid) August 9, 2024
In a recent interview with GQ Italy, Matte Babel, who is on Drake's management team and acts as the Chief Brand Officer, broke the news of what the Toronto-based rapper did to help save Italy's Venezia Football Club.
Evidently, the owner of the team, Brad Katsuyama, reached out to Babel, in a desperate attempt to raise funding, as he thought the "Started From the Bottom" rapper is the only one who could help.
"He [Katsuyama] laid out the problem, simply, Venezia needs to raise ten million euros in a couple weeks, and then at least thirty million euros in a few months, or the club will go bankrupt," Babel said to GQ. "Venice is an incredible city and Venezia has always been a special club. I spoke to Drake, and then Brad and I discussed how we could help."
Well, Drake made some calls to North American investors, and within a couple weeks enough money was raised to help keep the club from going under. In regards to the exact amount that was needed, the $40 million dollar goal has been reached, which has helped the organization bring in new talent as well as upgrade the facilities.
"The value of Drake to any football club is undeniable given his global superstardom and brand reach, this intersection of culture and sport is exactly where we want to be and as a sports organization the ability to tap a brand like NOCTA that also teeters the same line is incredibly valuable," Babel stated.
🤝| Venezia x Nocta
It's being reported that Venezia have ended their partnership with Kappa 😲
Nike's sub-label with Drake, @OfficialNocta, are rumoured to be in the frame to be the new shirt supplier for 24/25 and beyond to continue to grow the Venezia brand. pic.twitter.com/KwLlV4g7xm
— The Shirt Union (@TheShirtUnion) July 8, 2024
In view of the Venezia FC's success on the field, the team has spent most of it's time in the Serie B league, and have made many efforts to get promoted to Serie A, while accomplishing this in 2021, they were regulated soon after when they finished last the next season.
Ultimately, Drake's influence could be a turning point in the club's future, as they hope to build off of this past season's 21 wins, 7 draws, and 10 losses.
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