When it was almost time for Italian soccer club Venezia FC to go bankrupt and be demoted to the lowest Serie D, Award-winning Canadian rapper Drake showed up to their rescue.
GQ Italia has reported that Drake helped in the fundraising of $40 million to save Venezia FC from going and staying afloat in the Serie A.
According to the report, the Franchise had earlier planned to file for bankruptcy going into the 2023/2024 season and possibly being demoted to the lowest Serie D for poor performance.
“I got a call from Brad Katsuyama, co-owner of Venezia and a good friend of mine,” said Drake’s CBO Matte Babel, who also works in management. “He laid out the problem to me in a simple way: Venezia has to raise €10 million in a couple of weeks, and then at least €30 million in a few months, or the club will go bankrupt.”
The ‘God’s Plan’ hitmaker rolled out and saved the Venice soccer club after Babel gave him a call. Due to his influence and global stardom, the rapper effortlessly used two weeks to raise the 40 million dollars.
Commenting on the Canadian rapper’s kind gesture in an interview with Billboard, his reps said ;
“Venice is an incredible city and Venezia has always been a special club. I spoke to Drake, and then Brad and I discussed the details of how we could help. Within two weeks we had a deal, raised the money needed to pay the salaries and avoid bankruptcy.”
GQ Italia further reports that the $40 million came from a group of North American investors and heavily credited the 6 God’s involvement. The new ownership crew formed an Operating Committee to “oversee the strategic direction of the club.”
“Matte was my first call when I knew the club needed help,” Katsuyama said. “Drake’s value to any football club is undeniable, given his scale as a global superstar and the reach of his brand. This intersection of culture and sport is exactly where we want to be, and the chance to collaborate with a brand like NOCTA, which is moving along the same lines, is incredibly valuable.”
Drake’s Nocta Line will be designing new uniforms for the soccer club after striking a new apparel partnership deal with Venezia FC. The city made a €315 million investment into building a new stadium and an indoor arena with state-of-the-art facilities, which the team hopes to open in Venice for the start of the 2027 season.
