“Magnozzi voted unanimously to renew the Livorno brand”

Livorno – On the issue of the renewal of the concession of the nominative trademark, i.e. the name Us Livorno 1915, to the Livorno football club, on which a controversy is developing inside and outside the Magnozzi Fides club which holds the property, the editorial staff of Amaranta. it interviewed exclusively today, Thursday 16 May, the president of the same club Magnozzi, Enrico Fernandez Africanowho is also honorary president of the football club.

President, there has been a lot of talk these days about the nominative brand Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915. We have read and heard from many quarters that the Magnozzi club, which you chair, would have blocked the granting of this name to the Amaranth club. What is your version of events?
“There is no my version of the facts. There is the reality of the facts, that is, how things went, in black and white.”

And how did things go?
“The nominal trademark was granted by the Magnozzi club for another five years to the Livorno club. This occurred on the basis of a mandate given to the undersigned unanimously, not on my personal initiative. At the end of April a board meeting took place and all seven members of this board, including those who today say that I would have done it my way, have expressed their opinion in favor of the extension of this concession”.

So it’s not true that you would have granted the nominal trademark for another five years against the will of the majority of the Magnozzi board?
“What I say is supported by the minutes of a meeting of the board of directors. This agreement superseded and replaced, improving the conditions in favor of Magnozzi, the previous agreement which, not contested by anyone, had in any case been renewed for three years as of 30 last April. In other words, the concession of the nominal trademark was moved from 30 June 2027 to 30 June 2029. But if previously Livorno paid almost nothing for the use of the concession, now it will contribute a significant amount for this concession. for the next five years, every year, in favor of Magnozzi Fides”.

The vice-president of the Magnozzi club, Pasquale Lamberti, claims that the majority of the club was against her in this operation. Do you dispute this statement?
“I repeat, when we held the board meeting which gave me the mandate to present to President Esciua the proposal which Livorno then accepted, the text of which was discussed, all the members of the board, including Lamberti, expressed their opinion But then someone changed their mind, the responsibility for the choice, if we can speak of responsibility, lies with everyone, not just myself.”

In fact, in the following days, we learned of the project headed by the entrepreneur Andrea Locatelli and also supported by the former amaranth champions Igor Protti and Cristiano Lucarelli. Could it be that this has changed the minds of some members of the board of directors?
“It may be. But what was done during the board meeting is legally valid, the mood of the moment is not valid. During that board meeting we all acted for the good of Livorno without knowing what would happen afterwards. At least I acted for the good of the amaranth shirt. I would also like to clarify something…”.

Please say…
“It’s not true that the council is against me now. It’s split in two, it’s true. But the differences, numerically, are minimal.”

However, a large part of the Livorno fans would like the historical denomination not to be conferred on Livorno if presided over by Esciua. What do you think about this?
“That’s another matter, though. What do you want me to tell you… With hindsight, we are all infallible. I can say that I am a Livorno fan and that I am a sincere and passionate supporter of the amaranth shirt.”

Finally, is there anything you would like to say that you didn’t say in this interview?
“That I have a clear conscience, that’s what I can say. Come on Livorno, we will overcome this misunderstanding too.”