Juventus CEO Opens Up on Decision to Step Down & Hints Departure Was Forced Upon Him

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has suggested that the decision for him to step down from his role with the Serie A champions was not necessarily a mutual one.

After Juventus' 3-1 victory over Napoli on Saturday, Marotta announced that he would be leaving the club on October 25th, the end of his current contract. This comes after eight years of service with the Old Lady, whom he joined from Sampdoria in 2010.

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However, according to Marotta, the decision not to renew his contract wasn't necessarily a mutual one and in an interview with Rai Sport, as per Football Italia, he indicated that it was entirely the club's decision.

“The club has decided to enact a period of profound renovation,” he said.

When asked what his plans were for the future, he simply declared: “No plans for the future. I’ll stop, I guess.”

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Many reports are suggesting that President Andrea Agnelli is pushing Marotta out of the club, which could be due to the fact that Juventus are unwilling to part ways with Agnelli's right-hand man Fabio Paratici, who would be promoted to CEO upon Marotta's departure.

Marotta has also had his say on how his relationship with Agnelli affected the decision for him to leave the club.

“I was no longer in sync with President Agnelli. It’s disappointing, the decision has been made and now has to be announced, because my name is already no longer on the list for the Board of Directors,” Marotta told Corriere della Sera, as per Football Italia.

Some rumours are also suggesting that former Juventus star and ex-Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane could be one of the front runners to take up the vacant CEO spot in Turin after recently leaving his post at the Bernabeu at the end of the 2017/18 season.