Pozzo reflects on Watford, Udinese ahead of 80th birthday

Advertisement

Advertise with us

Giampaolo Pozzo isn't ready to slow down, even ahead of his 80th birthday on Tuesday, but the “dean” of Serie A figures it's a good time to reflect on his family's ownership of Udinese and English club Watford.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2021 (1956 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Giampaolo Pozzo isn’t ready to slow down, even ahead of his 80th birthday on Tuesday, but the “dean” of Serie A figures it’s a good time to reflect on his family’s ownership of Udinese and English club Watford.

“I am about to turn 80 and this is a passion for me, so I don’t set any limit for me in the future,” Pozzo told The Associated Press. “I will continue as long as I will be healthy. This is a personal hobby.”

While next season will be Udinese’s 27th consecutive campaign in Serie A, Watford will be back in the Premier League in August after a year away. Pozzo’s son, Gino, has been handed the ownership of the English team.

Udinese's Rodrigo De Paul vie for the ball with Sampdoria's Morten Thorsby, left, during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Sampdoria, at the Dacia Arena stadium in Udine, Italy, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Udinese's Rodrigo De Paul vie for the ball with Sampdoria's Morten Thorsby, left, during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Sampdoria, at the Dacia Arena stadium in Udine, Italy, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

“They did well to get promoted straight away, which isn’t easy,” Giampaolo Pozzo said. “Obviously, survival in the Premier League is fundamental. Obviously, we want to invest resources to stay in the league.”

The return to the Premier League was overseen by Xisco since December as the club’s fifth manager in less than two seasons — making it one of the least stable jobs in the game.

“The coach has shown that he is capable,” Pozzo said. “So he has the trust of the family. So there is absolutely no doubt.”

Pozzo bought Udinese in 1986, a few months after Silvio Berlusconi purchased AC Milan. When Berlusconi sold Milan in 2017, Pozzo became the “dean” of Serie A.

Rather than just avoiding relegation, the challenge at Udinese is qualifying for Europe for the first time since 2013. Its only season making it to the Champions League group stage was in 2005.

“The Champions League for Udinese has always been a goal to reach, not an easy one, but we will always fight to get there,” Pozzo said. “The objectives are updated according to the status depending on the economic trend and so on. Never give up.”

Not when there’s a talent like 26-year-old Argentina attacker Rodrigo de Paul in the team — for now.

“Rodrigo de Paul is a very important player in the sense that he is one of the best players I have seen playing in Udine in my 35 years of ownership,” Pozzo said. “He’s a fantastic player. Let’s hope he’ll stay, because we had fun with him and I’d like to have fun again.

“As a premise, the club does not need to sell but we are aware that players, important champions, if the opportunity comes from an international club obviously you can not do anything to keep him, no. I hope that now, in this situation of pandemic and so on, maybe he can stay one more year in Udine, so we can all have fun.”

The team enters the final game of the season against newly crowned champion Inter Milan sitting 12th in the 20-team standings.

“This season, potentially the team could have done better but we have to take into account all the difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pozzo said. “We are happy that this championship has ended and we hope that next year there will no longer be these problems of a health nature and that we can make, let’s say, a normal schedule.”

___

This story has been corrected to show Pozzo’s birthday is on Tuesday, not Friday.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Winnipeg Police Service recognizes, honours residential school survivors as Orange Shirt Day approaches

Malak Abas 3 minute read Preview

Winnipeg Police Service recognizes, honours residential school survivors as Orange Shirt Day approaches

Malak Abas 3 minute read Yesterday at 7:27 PM CDT

Winnipeg Police Service members lit a sacred fire outside of their North District Station in recognition of residential school survivors ahead of the upcoming Orange Shirt Day.

“We know that the relationship between policing and Indigenous communities has not always been one of trust,” WPS Chief Gene Bowers told visitors at a gathering outside of the station Sunday afternoon.

“We cannot change that history, but we can acknowledge it, we can learn from it, and we can take responsibility for how we move forward.”

The sacred fire, guided by elder Mike Calder, will burn for 24 hours at the Sinclair Street station, and then be allowed to extinguish naturally. It’s the second year the WPS has lit a sacred fire in recognition of residential school survivors — last year, the fire was lit outside of WPS headquarters on Smith Street.

Read
Yesterday at 7:27 PM CDT

Canada resorting to its tried and true playbook

Niigaan Sinclair 5 minute read Preview

Canada resorting to its tried and true playbook

Niigaan Sinclair 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

In 1846, Britain faced an emergency influenced by the Irish famine, so leaders repealed the country’s “Corn Laws” and restrictions on imported food and grain, transitioning to a system of free trade.

This created a crisis in the then Province of Canada, which had relied on British “preferential” status to prop up its agricultural and resource industries.

As a result, Canada looked south for new markets and eventually negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States.

This required land to be acquired and converted for industrial use quickly, so Canada quickly dispatched Commissioner William Robinson to negotiate with Indigenous communities along Lake Huron and Lake Superior for land.

Read
6:00 AM CDT

Discrediting independent media is the game plan

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Discrediting independent media is the game plan

Editorial 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

United States President Donald Trump’s decision to bar several news organizations from White House briefings is, thanks to a court decision, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Museum warehouse holds the history of electrical power in Manitoba

Sheldon Birnie 8 minute read Preview

Museum warehouse holds the history of electrical power in Manitoba

Sheldon Birnie 8 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

The work it takes to bring any endeavour to light is rarely, if ever, seen by those who look upon the final result — be that a creative work such as a feature film or a museum display.

Since 2001, the Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre, located at 680 Harrow St., has provided thousands of visitors with a century’s worth of history on electrical power in Manitoba.

“Everyone who comes in here is amazed at how much we can pack into such a small space,” says executive director Beryth Strong, who took on the role last November.

The museum is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. and hosts large groups of students throughout the school year. While the museum itself boasts numerous displays featuring approximately 220 electrical artifacts, including household appliances, computers, telephones, technical gear and much more, along with a collection of nearly 20,000 photos documenting major electrical construction projects, its warehouse just south of McGillivray Boulevard houses thousands more unique items.

Read
6:00 AM CDT

What’s open, what’s closed, what’s up in Winnipeg on National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Sept. 30, 2026

Free Press staff 4 minute read Preview

What’s open, what’s closed, what’s up in Winnipeg on National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Sept. 30, 2026

Free Press staff 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:38 AM CDT

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, or Orange Shirt Day, as it's known in Manitoba, happens Sept. 30 with many commemorative community events scheduled.

Read
Yesterday at 10:38 AM CDT

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 4:30 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. After that, the moon moves from Aries into Taurus.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Financial discussions, especially about speculation, sports or dealing with your kids, might be confrontational. However, the bigger news is that a partner, spouse or close friend might surprise you by saying or doing something you least expect. Stay tuned.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
2:00 AM CDT