Who wants to buy Messina? (all you need is 240,000 euro!)
By: Francesco | March 4th, 2009
A couple of years ago (2004 to be exact), Sicilian side Messina were promoted from Serie B and returned to Serie A for the first time since the early 1960s. This is also the same time Palermo were promoted to Serie A for the first time in a long time so all of Italy was surprised to see two Sicilian sides in Serie A in the 2004-2005 season (it’s not a surprise anymore, as Palermo became a stable Serie A side and they were joined by Catania). Messina even had a brand new stadium built and it was inaugurated that summer (the Stadio San Filippo, it’s one of the newest in Italy). Both sides impressed in their first season, and surprisingly Messina, despite being pegged as relegation favorites, finished in a shocking but impressive 7th place. The side from the Sicilian port city were entertaining to watch, and got many good results throughout the season (they even beat Milan at the San Siro). Their second season was not as great as they finished in the relegation zone but because of the Calciopoli scandal they were brought back to Serie A. In 2006-2007 though they really showed the magic was over and finished dead last, going back to the inferno of Serie B. After the 2007-2008 season in the second division, owner Pietro Franza (an entrepreneur who owns various companies) declared that the club’s debt was too much and unless a new owner stepped in the club would go bankrupt. Originally there was a deal in place for the sale but it fell through and Franza had no choice but to declare FC Messina Peloro officially bankrupt.
Normally most clubs would be re-admitted to Serie B under a new name because of the Lodo Petrucci rule, which allows club that go bankrupt to re-organize and start again (in recent years clubs like Torino, Salernitana, and Perugia took advantage of this). Messina would’ve most likely sold off their top players and just re-structure their team with youth and free agents, but Franza decided to forgo that process and signed up Messina for Serie D (where the costs for running a club are a hell of a lot lower). So this September, only 1 year removed from the pitches of Serie A, started play in Serie D. Even though the costs were lower, Franza still couldn’t handle it, and in late November the club was declared for sale.
Without much interest, an auction for the club was held today, and the base price was 330,000 euro. Yep, 330,000 euro. Almost 95% of footballers cost more than 330,000 euro. However, nobody showed up to the auction. Not a single bidder. So because of today’s terrible auction, Franza has decided to lower the price. So on March 14th a second auction will be held, and this time the starting price is 240,000 euro. So if anybody is interested in buying a football club with great growth potential, an almost-new stadium, passionate fans, and has 240,000 euro laying around, book a flight to Messina and get to that auction on March 14th!
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