Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether and minority shareholder in Juventus, shared his vision for the Italian football club in an interview with Tuttosport. As a passionate Juventus fan and investor, Ardoino outlined Tether’s ambitions to help the club unlock its full potential while emphasizing that the ultimate decisions rest with the ownership.
Why Juventus?
“Juventus and, in general, Italian football clubs have enormous potential. They are among the most recognized brands in the world, but this potential is not fully utilized,” Ardoino explained. He highlighted Tether’s personal connection to the club: “First of all, we are Juventus fans. Secondly, Juventus has an almost infinite number of supporters. Right now, I think there is a lack of connection with them—a lack of dialogue and the ability to use fans as a tool to support and grow the club further.”
Ardoino stressed that engaging fans is key to future success: “Involving fans is the future, obviously in a sensible way. You can’t cater to ‘armchair coaches’ yelling at their TVs, but creating the right kind of connection with supporters is fundamental.” Drawing from Tether’s experience in other ventures, he added, “If football teams had a more direct connection with their fan base and used new technologies to build something more concrete, both the Juventus brand and its fans would benefit. The value of the club would increase.”
The Project
Ardoino acknowledged that Juventus needs restructuring: “The club has lost its way a bit, at least from my perspective. It seems like the coach has lost the team’s support, and the fans have lost trust in the coach. Juventus needs to find itself again.” However, he refrained from calling for drastic changes: “I’m not saying the coach should leave—I don’t want to be someone who criticizes easily. It’s easy to criticize when you’re not managing things directly.”
Instead, he pointed out organizational issues: “There’s clearly a problem with organization, support, and trust that needs fixing. This can be approached in many ways; there’s no single solution. It must start with management—not necessarily changing it—but management must focus on itself first, then on rebuilding trust with both the team and the fans.”
Unlocking Potential
From a financial perspective, Ardoino believes Juventus is undervalued due to a general lack of confidence: “Juventus has enormous potential to connect with its fan base and leverage new technologies like blockchain payments, digital tools, artificial intelligence, or countless other innovations we’ve already tested successfully in other sectors.”
He envisions these technologies boosting fan engagement and strengthening the brand: “This would allow Juventus’ brand to climb even higher among the most beloved global brands. Consequently, it would increase the team’s value and give Juventus greater financial power to reinvest.” However, he cautioned that success requires hard work: “There’s no magic wand. The problem must be tackled from multiple angles—organization, trust, fan engagement, and technology.”
Ardoino emphasized that Juventus must adopt a medium- to long-term strategy: “The club has such a strong brand that it needs to fully exploit new technologies to improve internal communication, efficiency, fan interaction, and outreach to new audiences. This includes creating infinite content and using distribution channels like blockchain platforms—but all managed directly by Juventus. The brand cannot be fragmented or sold off piecemeal.”
Offering Support
Tether is ready to help Juventus achieve these goals but recognizes its limitations as a minority shareholder. “I believe our company can provide concrete help to Juventus. The real question is whether Juventus wants concrete help from us,” Ardoino said. He added: “We’re small shareholders right now. People tell me on social media, ‘Hurry up and fix things,’ but we only hold a small stake. We’re doing what we can and would love to help more—but it all depends on management and ownership.”
Ownership’s Role
Ardoino stressed that ownership must decide on a clear strategy: “They need to determine whether they want to continue supporting the team and show it through actions or seek a partner who can help them.” While there have been some communications between Tether and ownership, Ardoino noted they were not in-depth: “We’ve sensed some hesitation from them—perhaps they’re just trying to understand who we are.”
He also highlighted fans’ concerns about ownership’s current commitment: “The ownership must show they are focused on the team—something that fans may not feel right now.”
Reflecting on Agnelli’s Era
Ardoino observed that fans felt more connected during Andrea Agnelli’s tenure as president: “The fanbase felt more involved when Andrea Agnelli was there. I understand there were issues later on… but there was still that sense of connection.” When asked if he had ever met Agnelli personally over lunch, Ardoino replied simply: “No.”
A Favorite Era
Finally, Ardoino shared his favorite memories as a fan: “The team of Del Piero and Cannavaro—let’s say Capello’s squad—is probably my favorite Juventus era. Even though I was already 18 at the time, it was perhaps the team that made me dream the most. It was perfect in terms of camaraderie—a united group that served as an example for me while I was trying to build something of my own.”
