Giovanni Cobolli Gigli served as Juventus president in one of the most painful periods in the club’s modern history — the immediate aftermath of Calciopoli, the relegation to Serie B, and the long reconstruction that followed. Speaking to Radio Bianconera in the days after the Sassuolo defeat, the former president addressed the current crisis, the ownership question, and the long-running historical controversy that Antonio Giraudo’s recent interview has reopened.
“With Mid-Table Teams the Problems Return — This Is Unacceptable. Juventus Must Show Some Backbone”
On the Sassuolo defeat and its broader significance, Cobolli Gigli was direct without being catastrophist. “Against Sassuolo there were macroscopic errors from the squad in the final minutes — above all in defence. There was clearly a team error and a lapse of attention from Spalletti, who admitted to having pushed everyone forward. That said, Juventus’s first two matches were fairly good. Against Milan they conceded a goal but showed nothing negative. Now, against mid-table teams, the same problems as last season in the final stages are returning. And this is unacceptable. Juventus must find some backbone.”
“Elkann Should Be the Shareholder — He Must Put the Right Men on the Board and Let Them Work”
The most pointed institutional observation concerned the role of John Elkann — and the disconnect between his visibility in the press and what a listed company’s majority shareholder should actually be doing. “The fact that the newspapers keep pulling out Elkann is wrong from a conceptual standpoint. He is a shareholder of Juventus — a company listed on the Stock Exchange. He must remain the shareholder, put his men on the Board of Directors, and let the people appointed to manage Juventus get on with it.” It is a clear and long-overdue institutional distinction — one that Juventus, historically, has not always maintained with the clarity that corporate governance demands.
“Some Surplus Players Have Become Useful — Douglas Luiz Seems to Have Returned as a Usable Footballer. I Would Not Dramatise Things”
On the season’s early assessment, Cobolli Gigli offered a notably measured and constructive reading of some of the summer’s apparent contradictions. “Some players who appeared to be surplus have now come back into use, it’s true. Nico González has certainly changed enormously, and the same goes for Douglas Luiz — he seems to have returned as a useful player. And in my opinion it is the philosophy with which managers take hold of players, trying to bring out the best in them. But I would not arrive at dramatising things.”
His specific reference to Kolo Muani was equally pointed: “It seems to me that Spalletti said Kolo Muani had not been scoring for two years — and then retracted those words. But the truth was in the first thing he said. Directors probably asked him to correct himself.”
“I Would Continue with Spalletti — Conte Has Pros but Also Cons”
On the question that is dominating every discussion platform in Italian football, Cobolli Gigli was measured and resistant to the prevailing mood. “I have read about Conte being ready to return. Thursday we will see how Juventus holds together in the cup. But frankly it is not the Juventus habit I know to change manager after four league matches. With all due respect to Conte, who has demonstrated he can do excellent things in the short term — putting him in could have some pros, but also some cons. I would continue with Spalletti. Last year, when he arrived, Juventus played considerably better. Then in the final matches came the collapse.”
“I Am Happy for Giraudo — but His Observations Are Old. The Calciopoli Decision Was Unanimous”
On Antonio Giraudo’s La Stampa birthday interview — and the specific accusation that the Board of Directors’ decision not to appeal against the Calciopoli sanctions was wrong — Cobolli Gigli was careful and precisely worded. “I am happy for Giraudo that he has exonerated himself through the Brussels ruling. But of course he says certain things after twenty years — they are old considerations. Was I singled out? No — frankly I have a clear conscience when I reread that Board of Directors minutes. The decisions taken were not popular — that is beyond discussion. But at least Juventus returned to playing football. Given the results, it could have gone better — but it could also have gone worse.” On the withdrawal of the TAR appeal: “The decision was made to withdraw it because the probability of being sanctioned further was highly significant. The decision was taken unanimously.”
