Valerio Antonini is seeking a record settlement

Valerio Antonini has spoken out again, this time in a Facebook post that is bound to reignite the debate surrounding the Trapani Shark case—the team that was excluded from the Italian basketball league on January 12 and remains at the center of a complex sports and administrative dispute.

“A-league franchise sold for 7 million euros! A2-league franchise negotiated for 2.2 million euros. That’s why we have all these problems,” declared the Roman entrepreneur. “Selling just to line their pockets with a bunch of cash.” At this point, the damages owed to the Sharks—just for the team—are truly staggering. I have a strange, positive feeling about this. July 16… is coming.”

Antonini is alluding to the sale of Germani Brescia’s Serie A franchise to Paul Matiasic, a deal that led to the creation of Maxima Roma, and to the negotiations involving Ruvo di Puglia, an A2 club that was the subject of a “team swap” proposal put forward by Virtus Roma and subsequently rejected by the Ruvo di Puglia club.

On July 16, the European Court of Justice will officially rule on whether the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) can annul sports sanctions deemed unlawful, rather than merely awarding compensation. This decision could further alter the landscape of the Trapani Shark dispute and significantly expand the scope of the compensation claims.