Fan shareholding initiative InterSpac moves forward today with the unveiling of a new fan survey and webpage to determine interest in the project.
InterSpac president Carlo Cottarelli spoke to Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera in an interview published in today’s print edition, and outlined his intentions for the survey.
For Cottarelli, the survey is meant to demonstrate widespread interest in the project as well as financial viability.
The economist and Inter fan understands that transitioning from the current ownership model at the Nerazzurri to one in which supporters hold shares will not be a simple matter, and he hopes that by showing major pledged interest the project will gain a sense of legitimacy.
For the InterSpac president, the hope is that the survey will turn up a significant pledged amount which will prove that going forward it will have the financial presence to acquire a significant number of shares in the Nerazzurri.
Cottarelli explained how the survey works:
“You first decide how you want to join and if the company accepts. You make this consideration based on how much you think you can collect. We are not talking about a few tens of millions [for the project in total], but about significant figures. We’re not looking for an operation where we enter with €30 million and that’s it.”
He went on to outline the kinds of bids that InterSpac are looking for with the survey, and how these will work:
“There is no maximum limit, but there is a minimum. There are ranges from €500 to €1000, €1000 to €5000, and so on. In short, not a €50 offering. Then one can put in as much as they want.”
“It’s a one-off amount,” he continued, “Abroad there are models where an annual fee is paid though it’s not much. The club will not keep itself alive only with the support of fans.”
Speaking about relations with the current Nerazzurri ownership and the direction of the project Cottarelli had this to say:
“The club has been informed and has not given us negative signals, if it had wanted to stop us it would have done so already.
“We are in the study phase, not the collection phase. I hope there may be interest [in a similar sort of project] at other clubs.”