Rocco Commisso, president of Fiorentina, has passed away during the early hours of Saturday in the United States at the age of 76.The Tuscan club announced it through a lengthy statement on its offici...
Rocco Commisso, president of Fiorentina, has passed away during the early hours of Saturday in the United States at the age of 76.
The Tuscan club announced it through a lengthy statement on its official channels:
"With great pain and sadness, the Commisso family, together with his wife Catherine, his children Giuseppe and Marisa, and his sisters Italia and Raffaelina, announce the passing of president Rocco B. Commisso. After a prolonged period of treatments, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his loss."
THE STORY OF ROCCO COMMISSO
Born in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica on November 25, 1949, he had just turned 76. His was a story of emigration, vision, and success. As a child, he moved with his family to the United States, where he would later build a remarkable business empire. After graduating, he founded Mediacom, a company that grew to become one of the global giants in the telecommunications sector.
According to Forbes, as of October 8, 2023, his personal fortune was estimated at around 8 billion dollars, a figure that certifies the magnitude of an extraordinary business career, built from scratch.
A great football enthusiast, in 2017 he entered the world of sports by acquiring the New York Cosmos, a historic club in the American scene. But the real leap in quality, the one that made him a central figure in European football as well, came on June 6, 2019, the date of the acquisition of Fiorentina. This operation marked the beginning of a new era for the Viola club and further strengthened his bond with Italy, never forgotten despite a life spent on the other side of the ocean.
HIS LOVE FOR FIORENTINA
His love for Fiorentina was the most beautiful gift he gave himself, spending unforgettable days with the boys and girls of the youth teams, always with a smile for everyone. Tireless, he worked until his last days, dedicating himself to Mediacom and to Fiorentina.
Football was his passion, and Fiorentina became that passion seven years ago, when Rocco took the reins of the Viola club and began to love its fans, its colors, and the city of Florence.
"Call me Rocco," he simply told everyone, with his extraordinary empathy. And he was always close to Florence and the Florentines, in everyday life and also during the most difficult period of the Covid pandemic, when the "Forza e Cuore" campaign made significant donations to the city's hospitals.
THE VIOLA PARK: THE GIFT TO FLORENCE
"The Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park, the home of Fiorentina, will forever bear his name. An indelible mark of his affection and his desire to look to the future of young people. Precisely “his” boys and girls, who grew up in the youth academy, winning youth titles and continuing their journey in the Fiorentina men’s and women’s first teams. Under his leadership, Fiorentina reached two Conference League finals and one Coppa Italia final.
The Commisso family wishes to thank all those who have been close to them during these delicate moments and is convinced that the memory of Rocco will remain forever in the hearts of the many people who loved him and who shared both difficult and wonderful moments with him.
A great thought, in such a sad moment, goes out to all the people of Fiorentina — coaching staff, players, employees — to all who knew Rocco, to the entire Viola community and, above all, to all those boys and girls who will continue to carry the violet colors and the memory of our Rocco throughout Italy and the world.
We miss you and we will always miss you."
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
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Category: General Sports
