In the fall of 2022, reports were confirmed that Watford FC owner, Gino Pozzo, was ready to purchase the Spanish football club, Sabadell. The sports website in Spain known as sport.es confirmed that Pozzo and an American investor or group were ready to close the deal. When all was said and done, it would be Pozzo at the helm of the Catalonian organization.
The Storied History of Sabadell
Sabadell got its start in 1903. In 1935, the team reached the finals at Copa del Rey. The club has been in La Liga for several stints, most notably 1965 – 1972. It’s currently under the management of Gabri, and ranks 9th out of 20 in the Primera Division RFEF Group 2. The squad is mostly Spanish players, but they do have a Kenyan defender and midfielder, a Senegalese winger, and four caps from Equitorial Guinea.
Part of what makes football so enduring is the teams that have kept it going. Season after season, year after year, families from all backgrounds gather to cheer on the players that represent their homeland. While Sabadell may not have seen La Liga since 1988, the reality is that this organization has staying power. It also has an undeniable degree of potential.
sports.es reported that Pozzo began discussions with the president of the club, Esteve Calzada, in the summer of 2022. The Pozzo family was already familiar with Spanish football, having held stakes in both Valladolid and Granada. Sabadell plays home games at the Nova Creu Alta, a stadium built for just under 12,000 people. They take the field in kits that look very similar to the British Rovers outfit, which led to the official twinning of the two clubs in 2015. (This occurred after Rovers fans in Barcelona approached Sabadell fans assuming they were fellow Rover fans.)
Pozzo and Football
Pozzo has been devoted to football since he left university, and he’s been making a splash in the industry ever since his graduation. He commits his time and efforts to a variety of ventures, and he’s driven by an overarching need to raise everyone around him to a new plane. It’s clear that his work has been appreciated by fans and critics alike.
After he and his father purchased Watford FC in 2012, he would eventually take full control of the club in 2014. It was under his leadership that Watford would see the FA Cup. It was a huge turnaround considering their low rankings in 2011. There are a lot of similarities between British and the Spanish clubs at first glance. With a tighter ship under the right people, Sabadell might see their fortunes change faster than they imagined.
Once the deal is finalized, Pozzo would assume control of sports management for Sabadell. However, he would not necessarily be in charge of all club matters. As an owner with vested interests outside the country, he already has a lot on his plate. It’s expected that he would implement the same organizational structure that he has for his other clubs. This would mean being involved in major decisions, but also delegating responsibility to those he trusts.
A History of Success
Gino Pozzo comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His immediate family built successful empires in everything from appliances to football to woodworking, and they invested in causes and organizations that mattered to them. In the 1980s, they would use money from their woodworking business to purchase a football club in Italy. When Gino Pozzo decided not to take over the woodworking business, they supported his decision to buy a football club of his own.
Gino Pozzo doesn’t necessarily need to takeover the best clubs in the top divisions. In fact, he welcomes the challenge of turning raw talent into a truly unstoppable team. Along the way, he’s enjoyed some unexpected surprises by investing in the lesser-known teams. For instance, when he moved to London to devote himself to Watford, he and his family ended up loving the cultures and traditions in their home away from home. With every passing year, Pozzo stretches his business acumen and instincts even further in the sport he’s loved since he was a child.
Learn more about Gino Pozzo here: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/23592881.watford-owner-pozzo-explains-way-working/
