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Roma’s American CEO keeps euphoria in check

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer

ROME (AP) — For Italian soccer fans, merely mentioning the word “scudetto” — league title — is considered taboo.

The theory goes that it’s better left unsaid until your team actually raises the trophy.

Yet recently, the word has begun popping up in animated discussions inside Rome’s myriad coffee bars and on the city’s impassioned sports-talk radio stations.

The talk — and not only in the capital — is that Roma can put together a serious challenge for the Serie A title this season.

For a club that has won only three “scudetti” in its history — the last coming in 2001 — that’s noteworthy.

It’s even more notable considering that it’s only been three years since an ambitious group of four Boston executives took over the club to become the first foreign majority owners of a top-flight Italian team.

“Enthusiasm is a fantastic phenomenon. But it’s a delicate one,” Roma CEO Italo Zanzi told The Associated Press in an interview this week.

The euphoria couldn’t be further from the situation a year ago, when Roma had one of its most tumultuous offseasons in recent memory.

A sixth-place finish in 2013 left Roma out of European competition and then a loss to city rival Lazio in the Italian Cup final resulted in violent protests from fans.

Yet Roma was able to quickly turn things around by bringing in a new coach, the Frenchman Rudi Garcia, and a host of new players that resulted in the team setting a league record by winning its opening 10 matches last season.

Roma went on to finish with a club-record 85 points and placed second behind Turin power Juventus, which set a league-wide record with 102 points — becoming the first squad to break the 100-point barrier.

“We’re thrilled that people are rightfully excited about our potential,” Zanzi said inside his office at the club’s training complex. “But it’s almost inverse to what we had a year ago, where it was very hard to pick people up and get them excited. Now we’re very happy they’re excited but in many ways we have to work to make sure that people realize the season hasn’t even started yet.”

Roma opens the Italian league against Fiorentina on Saturday and has also qualified to compete in the lucrative Champions League this season for the first time since the American takeover.

On Thursday, Roma was drawn into arguably the Champions League’s toughest group, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and CSKA Moscow.

“I don’t think we were unlucky,” said James Pallotta, a hedge-fund manager and minority owner of the Boston Celtics who is Roma’s president and majority owner. “In the Champions League you have to play against and beat the best teams.”

While Pallotta jets back and forth from the United States to check in on the club and attend big matches, Zanzi — who is from New York — runs the squad on a day-to-day basis.

But most of the club’s staff remains Italian.

“We’re always very careful not to present this as an American product,” Zanzi said. “This is about an institution and a team that has a long and unique history. … We want to make sure that we do everything possible to honor the tradition and to be successful but we will follow whatever course we feel gives us the best opportunity to succeed.”

One part of that business model has been to scout and purchase players with big but yet-unrealized potential at low cost and then sell them at great gains a year or two later.

Just this week, Roma sold Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia to German champion Bayern Munich for nearly $35 million, having purchased him for half that price a year earlier from Udinese. Greece defender Kostas Manolas — who stood out during the World Cup — was brought in as a replacement on a $17-million transfer from Olympiakos.

Last year, Brazilian defender Marquinhos was sold to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain for a whopping $46 million, one season after Roma bought him from Brazilian club Corinthians for $6 million.

Roma also gained significantly when it sold promising Argentine forward Erik Lamela to Tottenham last year.

“We’ve made very strategic investments,” Zanzi said, deferring the credit in that area to sporting director Walter Sabatini.

This offseason, Roma has also been the biggest-spending club in Italy — highlighted by the $30-million purchase of Argentine winger Juan Manuel Iturbe, a 21-year-old who is already drawing comparisons to Argentina great Lionel Messi.

Yet the squad still revolves around 37-year-old captain Francesco Totti, who is entering his 23rd season with his hometown club.

Pallotta is hoping that Totti will still be playing when the club plans to open a new 52,500-seat stadium, with a design inspired by the Colosseum, for the 2016-17 season.

“I’m even open to carrying Totti in on my shoulders,” Pallotta said recently when Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino flew to New York to discuss the ambitious stadium plan.

Building costs for the stadium on Rome’s outskirts are estimated at $400 million but the overall price, including surrounding infrastructure and transport, will run beyond $1.3 billion.

Roma introduced the stadium project in an elaborate presentation at Rome’s city hall in March. While approval from city and regional authorities has been a complicated process and no ground has been broken yet, Zanzi said opening in two years “is still the timeline.”

In the meantime, though, there is a “scudetto” to chase.

___

Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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