John Stensholt wrote:
Melbourne Victory majority owners Mario Biasin and Anthony di Pietro have paid about $235,000 to take control of small lower-league Italian football club Triestina.
The move by Biasin, the owner of property developer Metricon, and di Pietro, the managing director of Premier Fruit Group and chairman of the Victory, will last for the rest of the Italian season and could lead to more permanent ownership later in 2016.
Biasin was born in Trieste in Italy's far north-east before moving to Australia as a child.
He has installed a cousin, Mauro Milanese, as the club's technical director after he and di Pietro saved Triestina from winding-up proceedings.
The move puts the Melbourne duo in the box seat to take over Triestina should they wish to. They will fund the struggling team, which plays in Italy's fourth division, for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
Triestina has a 30,000-capacity stadium and is based in an affluent area. Biasin and di Pietro have a business plan that involves injecting €5 million ($7.9 million) in the club over five years should they take it over
The move is separate to their Victory investment, although the two clubs could eventually share coaching and junior development programs.
Read more: http://www.afr.com/business/sport/melbourne-victory-owners-mario-biasin-and-anthony-di-pietro-take-over-serie-d-club-triestina-20160213-gmtk9f?eid=cpc:nnn-14omn2224-optim-nnn:outbrain-outbrain_paid-dom-displayad-nnn-afr-nnn&campaign_code=15caf010&promote_channel=sem&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid%20outbrain#ixzz40BpB1eZZ
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