Tether’s Francesco Garino Joins Juventus FC Board – Crypto Meets Football’s Elite

In a move blending crypto clout with football prestige, Tether executive Francesco Garino scores a board seat at Juventus FC.

The appointment signals growing institutional crossover between digital assets and traditional sports empires.

Garino’s dual expertise in stablecoin markets and Italian business networks makes him an unconventional but strategic pick for the Serie A giant.

Juventus shareholders probably still think USDT is a type of pasta – but at least they’ll have liquidity if their team keeps underperforming.

Who is Francesco Garino?

Francesco Garino is an orthodontist and a passionate supporter of the Turin club. Nominated alongside him was Tether’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Zachary Lyons. The successful election of Garino, secured through the backing of minority shareholders, represents Tether’s first formal role in the club’s operational governance.

This seat is reportedly the first on the Juventus board not put forward by Exor N.V., the investment arm of the Agnelli family, which has been the club’s controlling shareholder for over a century. Tether is now the second-largest shareholder, giving itself a direct voice in the club’s future direction.

The road to governance

Tether began buying shares in early 2025, building a stake exceeding 10% and planning to put itself as the second-largest shareholder.

This investment coincided with an unstable period for Juventus. The club had been affected by financial reporting scandals, resulting in the resignation of the entire previous board in late 2022. Tether saw an opportunity in the crisis, leveraging its stake to champion “best-in-class corporate governance” and demand a stronger voice for the minority shareholders.

Make Juventus Great Again (MJGA)

Tether has been vocal about its ambition to be a catalyst for change via the slogan, “Make Juventus Great Again” (MJGA). The Core strategy is multifaceted, focusing not just on financial investment but on modernization. It proposed amendments to ensure better corporate oversight and transparency, especially after previous financial scandals.

Nominating Francesco Garino, a true fan, was a calculated MOVE to ensure the “Popolo Bianconero” (Juventus people) have a direct voice at the highest level of the club. 

Tether plans to deploy its expertise in digital assets and technology to unlock new global media strategies, innovative collaborations, and commercial opportunities, ultimately hauling the club’s operations and fan experience into the modern Web3 digital era.

Future implications

The integration of a major crypto industry representative into the boardroom of a traditional European football heavyweight has profound implications. It marks a victory for the crypto industry, showing its move beyond sponsorship deals into actual corporate ownership. 

The board seat allows Tether to influence the adoption of Web3 technologies, fan tokens, digital payments, and NFT strategies, potentially unlocking new revenue streams for the financially pressured club. It sets the stage for a play between “new money” (Tether) and “old money” (the Agnelli family/Exor) within the boardroom, potentially changing the traditional governance model of elite European football.

For Juventus, the partnership is a lifeline to the technological future, making the club a pioneer in integrating digital assets across every facet of its business, from ticketing to global fan engagement. For the wider sports world, Tether’s entry is a clear signal—digital asset firms are moving past marketing and into portfolio investments, aiming to shape the future of the industry from the inside out.

Also Read: Tether & Da Nang City Sign MoU for Blockchain Governance