JAY-Z’s Roc Nation Sports and Italy’s Serie A soccer league have taken their partnership to new heights with a blockbuster new deal.
According to Deadline, Roc Nation Sports agreed to a “strategic partnership” with Italy’s premier soccer league on Monday (July 10).
They will join forces to raise the league’s profile in North America through an array of “digital content, marketing activations and events.” The Roc and Serie A initially entered into business together in 2019.
“We are super excited to help Serie A expand its brand throughout America while helping to develop meaningful commercial partnerships along with enhanced brand visibility that will lead to continued growth for one of the world’s premier football leagues,” said Roc Nation Sports president Michael Yormark.
Founded in 1928, Serie A is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious professional soccer leagues, home to iconic clubs like Juventus, A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Fiorentina.
However, it was Napoli — Diego Maradona’s former team — who are the reigning Scudetto champions having clinched their first league title in 33 years last season.
Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku — who is currently rumored to be dating Megan Thee Stallion — is already one of the many global superstars repped by Roc Nation Sports.
“We spent some time together in New York, and then he pushed me too to return to Inter,” Lukaku said of Hov earlier this year. “He’s a person who follows football a lot, he always follows Inter. He’s truly a nice person.”
Last week, Roc Nation Sports expanded its soccer outreach into South America with the acquisition of renowned Brazilian soccer agency TFM, which reps stars such as Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal).
According to Forbes, the lucrative TFM deal will quickly raise revenue margins as agents take a 10 percent cut of contracts in transfer deals and a reported six percent of player wages.
“In terms of football, Brazil is the center of it all. I strongly identify with a culture that has such an incredible passion for sport and music,” Roc Nation Sports founder Juan Perez said in a statement. “Our influence in this game is growing and this move shows our intentions to the world.”
With TFM in the fold, the Roc’s soccer roster now boasts 120 players, with Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Inter’s Federico Dimarco and Atletico Madrid’s Axel Witsel among them. The agency was launched just four years ago.
[via]
