Sturm Graz had only the best experiences with Thursday’s opponent Atalanta off the pitch. But there are problems with another Serie A club.
When Thomas Tebbich talks about Thursday’s opponent Atalanta Bergamo, he goes into raptures. The club has been on friendly terms since Rasmus Höjlund’s €20 million transfer in the summer of 2022. “All installment payments have been made on time so far,” said Sturm’s business boss. The relationships with the club from northern Italy are exemplary, but those with Genoa give Tebbich a dark face. Reason: The aftermath of Kelvin Yeboah’s transfer: The striker moved to the port city in January 2022 for the rumored transfer fee of 6.5 million euros. “We have now received the transfer fee, but not the contractually agreed bonus payments. They didn’t meet the payment deadline by any stretch of the imagination.” After all, it’s a matter of several hundred thousand euros…The club, which has been owned by “777 Partners”, an investment company from Miami, for two years, turned its nose at Sturm. Then Tebbich’s collar burst. He picked up his cell phone and loudly expressed his opinion to Genoa manager Andres Blazquez. “He said I shouldn’t make such a fuss.” Because Genoa’s lazy-paying bosses didn’t budge despite Tebbich’s complaint, Sturm called in UEFA and FIFA. “They proved us right.” Now the bonus payments will hopefully start flowing…
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