TURIN, Italy (AP) — Juventus’ owners publicly rejected a buyout offer from a cryptocurrency firm on Saturday — ensuring that the most successful club in Serie A history will remain controlled by the Agnelli family.
Tether, the cryptocurrency firm, made an offer worth about 1 billion euros (nearly $1.2 billion) for the Agnelli family's majority shares in the record 36-time Italian champion.
“Juventus, our history and our values are not for sale,” said John Elkann, chief executive of Exor, the Agnelli family’s holding company, in a video message posted on Juventus’ website.
“Juve has been part of my family for 102 years,” Elkann added. “Over the course of a century, four generations have emboldened it, made it strong, taken care of it in tough times, and celebrated it in the many festive moments.
“We continue to support our squad and are looking toward the future in order to build a winning Juve,” added Elkann, the grandson of Fiat tycoon Giovanni “Gianni” Agnelli.
Juventus has not won Serie A since taking nine straight titles between 2012 and 2020. The Turin club fired Igor Tudor and hired Luciano Spalletti last month after a difficult start to the season.
Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and the club's entire board of directors resigned in 2022 amid a false accounting inquiry.
Several of Italy’s other major clubs — AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma — are owned by foreign investment firms. Juventus and defending Serie A champion Napoli, which is owned by Italian film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis, are the main holdouts.
“Exor reaffirms its previous, consistent statements that it has no intention of selling any of its shares in Juventus to a third party, including but not restricted to El Salvador-based Tether,” Exor said in a statement.
“Juventus is a storied and successful club, of which Exor and the Agnelli family are the stable and proud shareholders for over a century, and they remain fully committed to the club, supporting its new management team in the execution of a clear strategy to deliver strong results both on and off the field.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
uventus's Weston McKennie celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Juventus and Pafos in Turin, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus's Mattia Perin celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Cagliari in Torino, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — Ritsu Doan scored for Eintracht Frankfurt to end its four-game winless run across all competitions with a 1-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg on Saturday.
The Japan forward took the ball past two Augsburg defenders and unleashed his shot before he was closed down by two more. The deflection from a retreating defender took the ball beyond Finn Dahmen in the Augsburg goal in the 68th minute, setting off relief-tinged celebrations around the stadium.
Noahkai Banks briefly spoiled the mood when he equalized late, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. It was the second goal that was ruled out for offside for the visitors in the game.
The win lifted Frankfurt to fifth before Bayer Leverkusen faced Cologne in their derby later.
Frankfurt lost narrowly at Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, after it was routed 6-0 at home by Leipzig in its previous game.
Also Saturday, St. Pauli overcame a harsh sending off to end its 10-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over relegation rival Heidenheim.
Pauli had Eric Smith sent off before the break when referee Sören Storks penalized him for a foul on Marvin Pieringer as the last defender, though TV replays showed the Heidenheim forward made the most of light contact and threw himself to the ground. There was no VAR intervention.
Martijn Kaars had already put Pauli ahead, and he stunned the visitors by scoring the second against the run of play early the second half.
Pieringer pulled one back later, but Pauli held on for its third league win of the season.
Wolfsburg’s revival under interim coach Daniel Bauer continued with a 3-1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. It stretched the team’s unbeaten run to three games.
Hoffenheim defeated promoted Hamburger SV 4-1 for its fourth straight home win.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
St. Pauli's Martijn Kaars celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's head coach Dino Toppmoeller, left, gives instructions during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Rasmus Kristensen celebrates at the end of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan, left, and Augsburg's Han-Noah Massengo, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
