Ħamrun Spartans president Joseph Portelli in final stages of buying Italian club Ars et Labor Ferrara

Joseph Portelli is on the verge of completing the acquisition of Italian Eccellenza side Ars et Labor Ferrara, the Times of Malta can confirm.

The Ħamrun Spartans president has made no secret of his ambition to acquire an Italian club, and during last month’s Annual General Meeting he announced that he had bought an Italian Eccellenza club, which is equivalent to the fifth-tier of Italian football.

Although on that occasion Portelli did not divulge the name of the club, he strongly hinted that the club he was buying had played in the Italian Serie A up to 2021, which suggested he was referring to SPAL, now known as Ars et Labor Ferrara.

Times of Malta tried to confirm the identity of the club with Portelli, but the Gozitan entrepreneur denied he was in talks to buy Ars et Labor Ferrara.

However, speculation continued to grow in Italy this week and Portelli and his close associate Marcel Bonnici were due to arrive in Rome on Friday to finalise talks and seal the deal.

Portelli and Bonnici are expected to meet with Ars et Labor owner Andres Marengo to sort out the last few details of the deal that would see the Eccelenza club pass to the ownership of the Ħamrun Spartans president.

Sources told Times of Malta that the Due Diligence process over the deal has produced no negative responses; thus it is understood that the sale of the club will be finalised by next week.

Once the deal is concluded, it will mark another feat by Portelli, who had been trying to buy an Italian club for several years.

Earlier this year, he had a bid to buy Siena Calcio turned down and was in advanced talks to take over Nocerina Calcio, but the deal fell through in the closing stages.

Now, it seems that his wish of buying Ars et Labor Ferrara is coming to reality, and the Italian club presents an attractive proposition for Portelli despite the low standing of the club.

Despite all the troubles the club has passed through in recent years, the team enjoys a strong following of fans, with an average of 7,000 fans watching the team in their most important matches of the season.

The club missed out on promotion last season, and there is growing hope that Portelli can help the team move up the ranks in Italian football.

In August 2025, SPAL Calcio was declared bankrupt due to its growing debts, which amounted to €18 million.

The club’s name had to restart from Serie Eccellenza under the name of Ars et Labor Ferrara, which was chosen by the club’s fans last season.

But the new ownership of Portelli could have the opportunity to restore the club’s name to SPAL should the Ferrara Council acquire the naming rights and logo of SPAL from the Tribunal on July 9 and pass it on to the club.

There is also the slim hope of moving one division to Serie D next season after on Friday the club requested to play in the Italian league’s fourth tier.

A decision will be made on July 26, and a lot will depend on how many clubs fail to register to play in Serie D.