Venezia FC, the club from the Veneto capital, was saved from bankruptcy by Drake, the Canadian superstar who has already accumulated over 77 million streams on Spotify alone this year. As Francesco Paolo Giordano reconstructed for GQ Italia, the intervention of a partner of the team, Brad Katsuyama, a link between the sports club and the foreign R’n’B giant, was a stroke of luck.
As Matte Babel, Drake’s Chief Brand Officer, explained to GQ:
“I got a call from Brad, he is co-owner of Venezia and a good friend of mine. He laid out the problem in a simple way: Venezia needs to raise ten million euros in a few weeks and then at least thirty million euros in a few months or the club will go bankrupt. Venice is an incredible city and Venezia has always been a special club. I spoke to Drake, then Brad and I discussed the details of how we could help. Within two weeks we had reached an agreement, raised the money needed to pay the salaries and avoid bankruptcy.
Katsuyama added:
“Matte was my first call when I knew the club needed help. Drake’s value to any football club is undeniable, given his stature as a global superstar and the reach of his brand. This intersection between culture and sport is exactly where we want to be and the chance to partner with a brand like Nocta that is moving in the same direction is incredibly valuable.”
The technical sponsor of the Venezia team “saved” by Drake is Nocta, a Nike sub-label founded by Drake.
