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During his time as acting CEO, CSA appointed Smith, Boucher, Kallis and Harris while demoting previous head coach Nkwe

Firdose Moonda21-Oct-2021Dr Jacques Faul, the former acting CEO of Cricket South Africa (CSA), has admitted that the organisation got it wrong when they appointed mostly white male candidates to top jobs at the end of 2019.Faul is the first person to have worked within CSA’s executive structures to give responding testimony at the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearing. He spoke extensively about events in the weeks that followed former CEO Thabang Moroe’s suspension and the England tour to South Africa over the festive period in 2019 which saw several high-profile appointments made.Related

• Michael Holding: Quota 'an unnecessary burden for players of colour in South Africa to carry'

• Graeme Smith's appointment explained as SJN hearings come to an end

• CSA directs men's team to collectively take a knee, notes de Kock's refusal to do so

• Jacques Faul appointed acting CEO of CSA

• Mark Boucher appointed South Africa head coach till 2023

In less than three weeks in December 2019, Faul was seconded from his post as Titans CEO to the top job at CSA, Graeme Smith was appointed director of cricket, who then chose Mark Boucher as head coach of the men’s national side. For the series that followed against England, Boucher acquired the services of Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris as batting consultant and spin-bowling consultant respectively. That meant CSA went from having a black CEO (Moroe) and a black head coach of the men’s team (Enoch Nkwe) to having a slew of high-profile white men in senior positions.Faul admitted CSA did not anticipate how badly those appointments would be received and that, in retrospect, he would have done things differently. “The optics were totally wrong,” Faul said. “We should have been politically more sensitive. It’s something I regret. We should have been emotionally more intelligent around that. We struggled to fully anticipate the outcry and it was a huge outcry. We didn’t anticipate that we would be viewed as a white takeover. If I knew that this was going to be the sequence of events, I would not have taken the job.”Things got immediately worse for CSA over the exclusion of Temba Bavuma, the only black African batter in the squad to play England. Bavuma had missed the Boxing Day Test through an injury but was then excluded for the next Test after recovering.Temba Bavuma’s exclusion from the team for the New Year’s Test of 2020 was a controversial moment during Faul’s tenure•PCB

“I met his (Bavuma’s) dad in the President’s Suite at Newlands,” Faul said. “I met a father who I could see was hurt. I remember that feeling when the headmaster catches you doing something wrong. That’s how I felt. I felt we had done something wrong. I could see the pain.”He said to me, ‘Do you think my son will play for the Proteas (again)?’ I said, ‘I think he will. I think he will be the captain of the Proteas.’ We had a very civil conversation. I could see he was disappointed. He was also trying to tell me that in this country when we do things like that, the majority of South Africans don’t appreciate it. When his son became captain, he phoned me and I heard the joy in his voice. For that, I am also thankful.”Many of those with stories of exclusion have told them at the SJN but a notable absentee is Nkwe, who believed he would continue as head coach at the time Faul was appointed, only to discover eventually that he would not. “He was devastated that he wouldn’t be going on and he said no-one has spoken to him for six weeks (after the India tour),” Faul said.CSA was undergoing its own turmoil at the time, with Moroe being suspended, and Faul eventually stepping in. Within three days of coming on, Faul did set up a meeting with Nkwe.By that point, Faul had already overseen the signing of Smith as DOC, although he was not involved in the negotiations over Smith’s appointment or salary, and Smith indicated to Faul that he would appoint Boucher.”I said to him (Nkwe) that it’s my understanding that he would not continue as head coach but we wanted him to be part of the coaching panel. I asked him if he would consider being part of it as an assistant coach. He didn’t agree right away.”I spoke to Enoch’s advisor and he said Enoch was really hurt by the fact that he wasn’t being considered head coach. I could see he was hurt but I wanted him part of it for a few reasons. One is it’s good for continuity – he had just been to India and we realised in future Temba would play a bigger role and he got on well with Temba. He had all the qualities we wanted in a coach. I also don’t blame him for having an expectation. If you’re in an acting position you do have that.”Mark Boucher was appointed South Africa’s head coach in December 2019, and Enoch Nkwe demoted from team director to assistant coach•AFP

Nkwe, who Faul said was being underpaid as interim head coach earning “much less than what was budgeted for, even by standards in 2012,” eventually agreed to work under Boucher but has since resigned. He cited concerns around team culture in his parting statement but has not expanded on that publicly since. Initially, Nkwe was identified as a successor to Boucher, who has a contract until the end of the 2023 World Cup.The duration of Boucher’s contract is also something that has come under scrutiny, because of its length. Appointed in chaotic circumstances, Boucher was given a deal that lasts more than three years, but Faul emphasised that the jobs given to members of the coaching staff were ratified by the board and in line with good corporate governance.”When Graeme Smith requested Boucher as coach, Boucher wanted Charl Langeveldt as bowling coach, Justin Ontong as fielding coach and there were initial discussions of having Ashwell Prince as the batting coach, but he didn’t want to do it. I mailed this list to the board.”Out of nine board members at the time, there were seven people of colour. There was only one objection and that was to the duration the coaching staff would be appointed. They usually get appointed from World Cup to World Cup. Angelo Carolissen (Boland president and board member) objected to the duration because Mr Smith only signed for four months and he was appointing people for a three-year period. Professor Stephen Cornelius then said it is best practice to appoint them for that duration. The appointment of all of that staff happened more or less the same way and it was approved by the board.”And the appointments that were made for cricketing reasons. But I admit we got it wrong. There were too many whites involved in a short period of time. Was it procedurally unfair? Not at all. Did a black board approve it? Yes, they did. Should they have been wiser? I think so. We should have been smarter when it came to that.”

The 10 teams, vying for the three World Cup spots, will also include West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2021The opening day of the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier 2021 in Harare will witness eight of the 10 teams in action, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh, the West Indies meeting Papua New Guinea, Thailand facing Zimbabwe and Ireland up against the Netherlands. The tournament will be played between November 21 and December 5, with three spots up for grabs for the ODI World Cup scheduled for next March-April in New Zealand.There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of 10 teams in five each of two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches. Group A consists of the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands while Group B will have teams from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the USA. The Super Six stage begins on December 1.Along with the three qualifiers, the next two teams from the competition will also secure their places in the following ICC Women’s Championship, with the tournament expanding from eight teams to ten in the next cycle. The other five spots will be taken by the automatic qualifiers of the ODI World Cup – Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand – on the back of their top-five finish in the previous ICC Women’s Championship.The tournament commences with a set of warm-up matches on November 19. Overall, four venues will be used for the group stage, with four matches held every day.The qualifiers were originally meant to be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the tournament, as well as the main event in New Zealand.Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands

Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA

Gary Stead is the current New Zealand head coach, but his contract ends in June this year

Firdose Moonda03-Apr-2025Rob Walter stepped down as South Africa’s white-ball coach to further his career in his adopted home in New Zealand, and could even be in line for a national job. ESPNcricinfo understands that Walter has been linked to a role with the New Zealand men’s team when Gary Stead’s contract ends in June this year.The exact nature of Walter’s involvement will largely depend on whether Stead wants to continue in the role, as he remains New Zealand’s first choice for head coach and whether he wants to continue coaching the national side in all formats. Stead was first appointed in 2018 and has had his deal renewed twice, most recently in July 2023.New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had discussed a split coaching role “in-depth,” but at the time, they had a consistent group of players across all formats and believed they would benefit from one coach. But the landscape has changed significantly with players such as Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson rejecting central contracts to pursue franchise opportunities. The captaincy roles are also now split between Tom Latham (Test) and Mitchell Santner (white-ball). It is increasingly likely the coaching role may also be split.Related

• Rob Walter named New Zealand men's coach across all forms

• Stead calls time on seven-year tenure as New Zealand coach

• Stead weighs future as New Zealand advertise for split head coach roles

• Rob Walter resigns as South Africa white-ball coach

• Stead gets two-year extension as New Zealand head coach

That would be familiar to Walter, who has worked as South Africa’s ODI and T20I coach since 2023, with Shukri Conrad in charge of the Test side. Though Walter enjoyed unprecedented success when he became the first South African coach to oversee the side’s progression to a World Cup final (last year’s T20 World Cup), his bilateral record was poor.He faced increasing criticism over transformation (South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad had only one black African player) and the travel to and from New Zealand was taking its toll. The last of those is a major reason for Walter opting to step down, two years into a four-year deal.Sources confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Walter had initially agreed to relocate to South Africa when he was appointed in 2023. However, when Cricket South Africa (CSA) pushed him on it, Walter is understood to have backtracked and said he had only agreed to consider moving back and had decided against it. His family, including two young sons, are based in New Zealand where he has lived since 2016. It is understood that CSA was surprised by Walter’s resignation but understood he had an opportunity elsewhere.Walter had previously been the head coach of the South African domestic side, the Titans, based in Centurion, which was his first coaching job after working as South Africa’s strength and conditioning and fielding coach between 2009 and 2013. He spent five years with Otago, and reached two finals, before moving to Central Stags for two years and was then appointed to South Africa’s white-ball sides.Walter was contracted until the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. CSA will appoint a successor to take the team to that tournament and Test coach Conrad is the favourite which could see South Africa move back to an all-format coaching system. The board will meet next week to decide on the process for appointing Walter’s successor.

The defending champions have lost five of their eight matches and have been left playing catch up in the race to the playoffs

Sreshth Shah21-Apr-20252:04

Finch: ‘A horrible batting display by KKR’

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has “no complaints” with the bowlers and said that his faltering batting unit was the reason behind their fifth defeat in eight games. KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo went a step further and said the defending champions have “lost confidence.”After KKR elected to bowl, Gujarat Titans (GT) notched up 198 for 3. In reply, KKR were blown away, succumbing to a 39-run loss after finishing on 159 for 8.”I thought 199 was chasable, I thought we came back into the game really well with the ball,” Rahane told the host broadcaster after the game. “When you are chasing 199, you expect a good opening start with the batters, that’s what we are struggling [with] throughout this tournament. We bowled really well, we faltered with the batting, but we need to learn as quickly as possible and then keep going.”Related

• Anil Kumble wants misfiring KKR to move Venkatesh Iyer 'right up the order'

• Finch: 'Was so strange to watch KKR just trying to knock it around'

• Gill and Sai Sudharsan give a masterclass in low risk, high rewards

• Gujarat Titans consolidate top spot after Gill-Sai Sudharsan show

Bravo echoed those words in the press conference when responding to a question about Andre Russell’s returns (55 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 119.56) in IPL 2025. “We as a team didn’t bat properly. That’s just the reality. Russell isn’t the only one struggling right now. We need to keep the players mentally focused but IPL is that kind of tournament that when you don’t start well, batsmen go into a period where they’ve lost confidence. That’s what’s happening at the moment.””When Russell walks in to bat every time, the run rate is at 14-15. The work needs to be done at the top so that he has a chance to finish the game like he’s accustomed to at KKR. He’s been out to legspinners a few times but that’s not a concern. We just need to bat better so he can finish games.”1:43

Finch: Venkatesh Iyer’s lack of intent was mesmerising

KKR’s issues start right at the top. In eight games, none of their three opening partnerships have clicked regularly. Monday’s new pair in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine also lasted only five balls. Their openers have the worst batting average this season (19.00) and Rahane said that was one area they’ve been lagging behind in.”When you are chasing a big target, you expect a good start with your opening batters; that’s what we are looking to get better as a batting unit,” he said. “No complaints with our bowlers, I thought bowlers are doing a really good job. Game by game, they are improving a lot.”We know these conditions really well, [but] we need to bat properly, we need to bat well in the middle overs, that’s what we are struggling [with] as a batting unit.”Barring Rahane’s 36-ball 50, none of the KKR batters really stood up. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, their only other in-form batter, came in at No. 9 as an impact player, with Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Russell and Moeen Ali all pushed up ahead of him. Raghuvanshi dazzled with a few good shots but the game was all but done by then. Bravo said the batting order changes were a result of KKR chasing a left-right combination to tackle Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore.”We tried to create a left-right combination, we are a team that is blessed with quality left- and right-handers in our top order. So we tried to use that to the best of our ability, especially against a team of quality spinners. Unfortunately, Angkrish had to keep slipping down the order,” Bravo said. “When you’re chasing 200, you’re trying to maximise as much as possible and try to get in the guys who have the ability to really hit the ball in the middle.”But again, our batters are low on confidence. Normally, runs bring confidence, form brings confidence and now it’s time to be honest. The batters don’t have confidence at the moment, but the guys are preparing and practising. They are not sitting back and missing practice. We cannot fault their effort, it’s just not working out at the moment.”Rahane backed his team to come good in the next few games. “This format is always about being brave, whatever has happened in the past, you cannot think too much about it. You need to learn from your mistakes,” he said.”If you think about getting out, you will get out as a batsman. If you think about getting runs, scoring or hitting a boundary or a six, I think it’s always about that. I am sure our batters are thinking about it, it’s just a matter of time, I feel.”

Yudhvir Singh came in for RR, who will finish last out of the ten teams if they lose to CSK

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2025Despite losing eight out of nine games while chasing, Rajasthan Royals (RR) continued to stay with what has been the right thing to do: chase. It shows they don’t see the batting as a problem, but are rather seeking to chase fewer runs. They made one change to their side, leaving Fazalhaq Farooqi out for Yudhvir Singh. That left only three overseas players in their bowl-first XI, leaving the door open for an IPL debut for Lhuan-dre Pretorius when it is time to chase.Chennai Super Kings (CSK) didn’t make any change to the side that played the last game. MS Dhoni said he was happy with the way the batting was shaping up for the next season.Both the sides were on six points, but CSK had a game in hand. That means a win on Tuesday will avoid what could be CSK’s first-ever bottom-placed finish in an IPL. This is RR’s last game, so even a win won’t guarantee them the dubious distinction.RR’s coach Rahul Dravid said the season could have looked different if they had not lost all of their close finishes. They have ended up on the wrong side of five close games, including one tie at the same venue when it appeared they had the chase wrapped up.Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ayush Mhatre, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Urvil Patel, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Anshul Kamboj, 11 Khaleel AhmedImpact Player options: Matheesha Pathirana, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna GhoshRajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 3 Sanju Samson (capt. & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7, Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Kwena Mphaka, 9 Yudhvir Singh, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Akash MadhwalImpact Player options: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Shubham Dubey, Kumar Kartikeya, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Rathore

Bharat Arun will run the programme “aimed at further enhancing the standards of Sri Lankan fast bowlers across junior and senior squads”

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2025Bharat Arun will become the latest in a string of high-profile Indian coaches conducting specialised coaching programmes for Sri Lanka’s top cricketers.He will run a 14-day programmed “aimed at further enhancing the standards of Sri Lankan fast bowlers across junior and senior squads at the high performance centre,” a Sri Lanka Cricket press statement on Friday said. Arun, who was the bowling coach of the senior India men’s team from 2014 to 2021, will run a programme starting on June 2.Earlier in May, India’s former fielding coach R Sridhar had run a ten-day programme of his own. Last year, Zubin Bharucha, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) director of high performance, ran a brief batting coaching programme in Sri Lanka as well. These initiatives have all come during the tenure of Sanath Jayasuriya as head coach.”[Arun] will work with the Sri Lanka national men’s and women’s teams, the women’s ‘A’ team, the U19 men’s team, coaches of the high performance centre, club and provincial coaches, and coach-educators during his stay here in the country,” the SLC statement said. “He will conduct separate strategy sessions with the men’s red-ball and white-ball teams, hold technical and skill-based training with fast bowlers, hold video and performance analysis sessions with players and coaches, and also match scenarios to develop ‘game’ understanding.”The Sri Lanka men’s team, in particular, is having a quiet period, with only two Tests to play till next May and a light international schedule, having not qualified for this year’s Champions Trophy.

Positive results for Liverpool and Chelsea saw players from each side stand out as the Premier League said farewell to 2017

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  1Ryan Fraser | Bournemouth

  Fraser netted with both of his shots against Everton, while he also made three key passes for the Cherries.

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  2Jordan Ayew | Swansea City

  The Swansea front-man won four fouls and netted an 86th minute equaliser in his team's eventual 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road. 

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  3Mohamed Salah | Liverpool

  Salah had seven of Liverpool's 17 shots (including blocks) against Leicester, scoring with two of them to help his side to a 2-1 comeback win.

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  4James Milner | Liverpool

  Milner made more passes than any other Liverpool player against Leicester (87), with 61 of those coming in the opposition half. 

The Barcelona star is head-to-head with his old foe and the new pretender, once again, for the right to be crowned best in the world

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk are among the 30 nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or as they contest the crown of best player in the world.

Barcelona captain Messi is in the hunt for his sixth Ballon d'Or, having last won the accolade in 2015, and will be hoping to add it to his collection after already scooping FIFA's The Best award in September.

Juventus forward Ronaldo, whose last Ballon d'Or triumph came in 2017, could also potentially win the award for the sixth time, while Van Dijk, if he is chosen, would become the first defender to win it since Paolo Cannavaro in 2006.

The nominees were confirmed by in October and the winner of the prestigious award is set to be announced at a ceremony which takes place on December 2.

Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric broke a decade-long duopoly between Messi and Ronaldo when he won the 2018 edition, but the Croatia international has not been included in the 2019 list of nominees.

Other nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or include Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who were massively influential in the Reds' Champions League success.

Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling have made the list after leading Pep Guardiola's side's charge for domestic glory.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker are also nominated having starred for Liverpool and Brazil, while Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is in the running after a goal-laden campaign for the Ligue 1 champions.

The award, which is independent of FIFA since 2016, takes into account the performances of a player for the calendar year rather than the previous season.

You can see all the confirmed nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or in the full list of contenders below:

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  1Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona | Germany

  Ter Stegen lifted the Liga trophy with Barcelona as the club's first-choice shot-stopper.

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  2Marquinhos | PSG | Brazil

  The defender enjoyed another formidable campaign as he won Ligue 1 with PSG and the Copa America with Brazil.

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  3Joao Felix | Benfica/Atletico Madrid | Portugal

  The young Portugal international completed a €120m move to Atletico Madrid after impressing hugely with Benfica, following a season where he scored 20 goals and won the Primeira Liga.

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  4Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | England

  The young England winger seems to be improving with every season at the Etihad and 2018-19 proved no exception as he scored 25 goals and won the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Some of European football’s biggest names have worn the famous red shirt at Anfield, but who makes our all-time XI?

As English football’s most successful club, and six-times European champions, Liverpool have always been to call upon some of the best players the game has to offer. From the glory days of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, when the likes of Roger Hunt, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish were the darlings of the Kop, to the modern era, which has seen Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and the rest write their names into Anfield folklore, Liverpudlians have never been short of heroes.

Only 11, however, can take their place in GOAL’s greatest ever Reds team…

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  GK: Ray Clemence

  Alisson Becker may one day challenge, and perhaps even supersede, Clemence as Liverpool’s greatest ever goalkeeper, but for now there can only be one choice.

  Only three players have made more appearances for the Reds than Clemence, who featured 665 times between 1968 and 1981, and few can boast a better trophy collection.

  Clemence won 13 major honours at Anfield, including five league championships and three European Cups. Not bad for someone who cost only £18,000 when signing from Scunthorpe.

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  RB: Phil Neal

  What, no Trent Alexander-Arnold?! Well, no. Not yet, anyway. Liverpool's home-grown hero will undoubtedly make his way into this XI in the coming years, but how could we possibly overlook the most decorated player in Anfield history?

  Phil Neal was Bob Paisley's first signing as Reds boss in 1974, and by the time he left in 1985 he'd won eight league titles, four European Cups, four League Cups, a UEFA Cup and a Super Cup.

  He made 650 appearances, scoring 59 goals – including in two separate European Cup finals. He might not have crossed a ball like Trent, but boy is he a Reds legend

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  CB: Alan Hansen

  One of a long line of great Scots to have represented the Reds, Hansen is widely considered as the greatest defender ever to have pulled on the red shirt and is, with 17 major honours to his name, one of the club’s most decorated players too.

  Famed for his calmness, reading of the game and ability to bring the ball out from the back, he captained Liverpool nearly 200 times before injury brought an early end to his career in 1991. Later became a highly-respected BBC pundit.

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  CB: Virgil van Dijk

  Another of the modern-day greats, Van Dijk will surely rival Hansen as Liverpool’s greatest ever centre-back by the time he’s finished at Anfield.

  A club-record signing when joining from Southampton in January 2018, the Dutchman has proven to be worth every penny of the £75million ($90m) the Reds paid for him.

  Imperious in the air, flawless on the deck and a true leader in every sense. Without him, none of the club’s success under Klopp would have been possible. 

With Socios.com providing an app for fans to have their say, GOAL looks back at five major decisions that formed one of Europe’s elite

Juventus are the most successful club in Italian football history and have an appeal that stretches across the world.

The Turin giants have picked up 36 official league titles and have won the Coppa Italia 14 times, setting the record for crowns in both these competitions.

Furthermore, they have become a global brand in recent years, with the club considered to be emblematic among the Italian diaspora throughout the world.

How did Juve manage to attain such a lofty status? Here are five key decisions that have played a role in getting the club to its current position.

The $JUV Fan Token gives you the power to help the Bianconeri make the right decisions, access VIP experiences, earn official products, all on Socios.com.

Juve asked their fan token holders to choose a new goal song at the stadium after eight years, with Blur’s Song 2 emerging the winner.

From the beginning, Juve have given fans a wide variety of ways to use their Fan Tokens. Some of the most popular have included letting fans choose a new design for the official team bus, re-imagine the J logo for bespoke shirts and selecting the phrase to be seen on the first ever 'on field' fan token exchange when Juve played FC Barcelona.

Below, we look back on the five major decisions Milan made that helped transform them into the superpower they are today.

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  Turning to England for kit help

  Initially formed as an athletics club in the late 19th century, Juventus became a football club in 1899 and joined the Italian Football Championship the following year. At this point, they played in a pink and black strip.

  A change began in 1903 when the continual washing of the pink shirts, which were made by the family of one of the players, meant that they were fading and needed to be replaced.

  Juventus found inspiration from an unlikely source. Englishman John Savage, one of the players of the day, was asked at the time if he had anyone who could supply a new kit. Savage had a contact in Nottingham who, being a Notts County fan, shipped out the now famous black and white stripes.

  Juve soon changed their colours to the black and white stripes by which they are known by today. Indeed, they were playing in this kit when they lifted their first Scudetto in 1905, setting in stone a tradition for the club to turn out in the ‘Bianconero’.

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  Creating the Angelli dynasty

  The 1920s were a pivotal period for Juventus, with Fiat’s Edoardo Agnelli appointed to the role as club president in 1923. He would not know it at the time, but it was a decision that would put the Agnelli family at the head of the club in an almost unbroken spell that has spanned the best part of a century.

  Indeed, it was under Edoardo Agnelli that the club won its second league title in 1925-26, although perhaps the most pivotal period arrived in the 1930s, when Juve won five successive championships, became the first professional football club, and spread their appeal beyond their immediate locality.

  The Agnelli family have gone on to experience all the highs and lows of the club for the best part of 100 years, with Andrea Agnelli having been the latest member of the family to take over as president. Indeed, he has overseen Juve’s exceptional run of since the early part of the 2010s that includes nine Serie A titles.

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  Appointing the legendary Trapattoni

  Juventus’ Golden Era came about in the latter part of the 1970s and 1980s and was largely overseen by legendary head coach Giovanni Trapattoni, who led the club for a decade from 1976.

  It proved to be an incredible era for Juve. Trapattoni was renowned for his man management and excellent tactical awareness, helping the club to six Serie A titles, two Coppas Italia and every UEFA competition, including the 1984 European Cup, during his first tenure.

  During this period, Juventus were not just dominant on the domestic scene, they were also the foremost side in world football. This is highlighted by the fact they won four Ballon d’Or titles in succession from 1982 onwards, with the brilliant Michel Platini, Trapattoni’s on-field magician, gaining a hat-trick of those.

  Incidentally, Roberto Baggio also picked up the coveted individual award in 1993, during Trapattoni’s second spell at the club, again highlighting his ability to get the absolute best from players.

  Known as the ‘King of Catenaccio’, Trapattoni’s tactical schemes that inspired Juventus to remarkable heights will be forever remembered in footballing history.

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  Moving into a new era with Juventus Stadium

  Juventus have been relatively nomadic over the duration of their history, calling five different grounds their home over the course of around 120 years.

  In 2008, however, they took a major decision to build themselves a state-of-the-art ground of their own.

  Previously, Juve had shared the Stadio delle Alpi and the Stadio Olimpico with neighbours Torino, but neither of these grounds had generated an atmosphere befitting of their stature due to the running track that kept fans well away from the action.

  Juventus’ new home, which has been built on the site of the Delle Alpi, has brought fans closer to the pitch and offers impeccable facilities that have been granted UEFA Category 4 status – one of only four grounds in the country to attain such a level.

  Crucially, it has also provided Juve with an additional source of income, as it was the first club-owned modern venue in the country.

  It is far more than just a football stadium with a shopping centre, bars and restaurants attached.