Watch: Ħamrun Spartans president Joseph Portelli ‘dreams’ of buying Sampdoria, but looking at other clubs

Ħamrun Spartans president Joseph Portelli said it would be a dream to buy Serie B side Sampdoria but revealed that he is currently pursuing other options as he looks to take charge of an Italian club.

Back in September, Portelli announced his intentions to buy an Italian club. Since then, speculation has been rife about which club he might target, with several names circulating, particularly given the precarious financial situations of many Italian teams.

One of the clubs mentioned was Sampdoria, a decorated side with a rich history, having won the 1991 Serie A title and finished as European Cup runners-up in 1992.

Currently, the Blucerchiati are battling to stay in Serie B. While their struggles on the pitch are evident, their off-field troubles are even more significant, as they face substantial financial debt.

Earlier this week, Portelli once again mentioned Sampdoria, but there was still uncertainty about whether he had concrete intentions to buy the former Italian champions.

“The truth is, as I always stated, that if God forbid, Sampdoria goes bankrupt, it would be the ambition of every president and investor to take over such a club. So if, God forbid, they go into administration, I would not even blink twice about it, even if they start in Serie D,” Portelli told the Times of Malta.

“Obviously, such a club attracts multiple investors and personally, I am also pursuing other clubs, so I won’t sit and just wait for Sampdoria. However, if you’d ask me what’s in my wishlist, Sampdoria are certainly there, even if it means starting from Serie D (fourth-tier).”

Sampdoria’s financial situation remains complicated, with Italian sources reporting that one of the complexities surrounding their debt situation is that if new ownership takes over before 2033, 50% of their debts – estimated at around €30–€40 million – owed to private banks and public entities must be paid immediately.

Portelli suggested that their ownership future might not be clarified until the summer period.

“From my end, I don’t want to wait so long because life is short and I am interested in other clubs too,” he said.

When he first spoke in September, Portelli had revealed that he was primarily looking at a Serie C club, but now he is not excluding options in Serie B or Serie D.

“One of the advantages of buying a Serie D club is that you get it cheap and then you can spend just €2 million to take it into Serie C and among the professional leagues,” he explained, without naming any specific clubs.

“In Serie C, you can buy teams for around €6-7 million, while the prices increase in Serie B, between €10-17 million.”

“I don’t mind starting from D, as at the same time it serves as an experience.”

Portelli once again underlined his long-term goal behind this ambitious project – to ensure Ħamrun Spartans remain competitive in Europe.

In September, Portelli had said that all the profit made with the Italian club will be reinvested in Ħamrun Spartans FC, as his ultimate goal remained to see the Reds qualify for the League Phase of a UEFA club competition every summer.

Following the UEFA Conference League tie against Lausanne on Thursday, Portelli echoed the same sentiment.

“It would be a huge platform for Ħamrun and Maltese football, because it gives us the chance to bring important players here. Right now, we are already in a good situation as, given our participation in the Conference League, it allows us to bring players of a higher level who strive to play in one of UEFA’s club competitions.”

He added that owning a club in Italy could also help expand Ħamrun’s player development opportunities.

“If I had two or three extra football pitches where I could bring players on our shortlist to train here, I would do that, but since I do not, that is why I am opting for such a project,” Portelli concluded.