Della Valle Brothers Said to Sell Fiorentina Soccer Team

DELLA VALLES’ SALE: Given the Italians’ passion for soccer, it’s not surprising to see Diego and Andrea Della Valle’s names in the country’s main news.

The brothers are said to be selling the ACF Fiorentina team after 17 years, with the closing of the deal expected by the end of the week. Rocco Commisso, who hails from the U.S., is reportedly paying 170 million euros for the team, which is not part of the publicly listed luxury Tod’s Group, but is owned by another Della Valle family holding.

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After saving Fiorentina following its bankruptcy and bringing it back to the top league, the Della Valle brothers have been going through a rough patch, with fans of the team challenging the entrepreneurs’ recent strategic choices and investments and even staging protests in front of Tod’s and Hogan stores in Florence.

Although the Della Valles over the years have voiced their love for the team and supported it through ups and downs, their patience must have run thin. Diego Della Valle in May wrote a letter to the team fans published on Florence-based La Nazione daily that kicked off with “Enough!” and said, conversely to his brother, he could “not accept what [he] saw” and accused “those that create this hostile and violent atmosphere to fuel chaos and confusion without offering anything serious or concrete, often cowardly taking advantage of anonymity or group protests to shamefully offend.”

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