When the inaugural season for the Montreal Impact came to an end in 2012 the team decided to conduct a tour in Italy facing off against Bologna F.C. and ACF Fiorentina. It was a great opportunity for the first team combined with some of the Academy players to gain some exposure to the European game.
Joey Saputo Already in Italy
Fast forward to last week when rumors surfaced that Montreal Impact Owner and President Joey Saputo was in talks to buy Italian team Bologna FC. This week these rumours continued to grow as Saputo traveled to Italy with Nick De Santis to visit and mull over the prospect of buying the storied Italian club. Talk of buying Bologna is coming hot off Saputo’s announcement of a new USL-Pro team and training facility in Montreal. The acquisition of the Serie B club would open up an interesting trio of teams that Saputo would own and be able to move players freely between the clubs.
Not only would the purchase of Bologna be an exciting prospect for the Montreal Impact it should also excite Don Garber and the heads of MLS which could see another pipeline for the transfer of players between North America and Europe. This can only be seen as a positive sign for the MLS, as the caliber of talent will only continue to grow.
The Di Vaio Connection
Another aspect to this deal that one must consider is the fact that Impact designated player Marco Di Vaio is considered a hero at Bologna and the new partnership would see the relationship between Di Vaio and the Impact continue. If Marco Di Vaio has any aspirations of coaching in Europe Bologna could be a perfect place to launch his post-playing career.
Designated player Marco Di Vaio is considered a hero at Bologna and the purchase would continue the relationship between the player and club. If Di Vaio wanted to get into coaching after his playing career is over there is a potential he could move back to Italy and be involved with a Serie A club right away.
Existing Relationship
The relationship between the two clubs continued after the Impact’s tour in 2012. During the 2013 MLS campaign Montreal brought in a Bologna player on loan, Daniele Paponi. Paponi played in 16 games for the Impact and scored 2 goals. Although Paponi showed flashes of brilliance it would have been costly for the Impact to bring him on in a permanent role.
Paponi was not the only Bologna player in 2013 to be brought to Stade Saputo. Midfielder Andrea Pisanu was also brought in on a loan deal from Bologna and featured in 14 games scoring 1 goal.
Although neither player ended up signing longer term deals in North America the relationship between Bologna and the Impact seems to already exist and the purchase of the Serie B side by Saputo would help to cement this and formalize the ties between the clubs.
Growing Empire
If Joey Saputo ends up buying Bologna it will only help crystallize his long term commitment to helping build soccer in the city of Montreal. The prospect of quality players going between the Montreal Impact, FC Montreal, and Bologna FC is exciting and one the Impact fans should get behind.
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