Frederic Massara will become the new head of the sporting area at Juventus, the club is set to announce. The appointment arrives under the direction of newly appointed CEO and General Manager Giovanni Carnevali, who is initiating changes to the club’s management structure. Current Technical Director Francois Modesto will depart, effectively ending the French influence within Juventus’ leadership.
Marco Ottolini will remain in his role as Sporting Director, while Giorgio Chiellini will continue as Director of Football Strategy, maintaining relationships with football institutions such as Lega Serie A, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), UEFA, and the European Football Clubs Association (EFCA). Juventus may also look to add a new head scout, with Davide Cangini, currently fulfilling that role at Sassuolo, emerging as a leading candidate.
Carnevali is swiftly assembling his team just 25 days after arriving in Turin. Massara, 57, joins from Roma, where his relationship with manager Gian Piero Gasperini was reportedly strained. He shares a long-standing friendship with Carnevali dating back to the early 1990s, when both were at Pavia – Massara as a young player and Carnevali as the club’s General Manager. They were later both transferred to Pescara under coach Galeone in 1991, alongside Massimiliano Allegri.
Massara began his career as a director in 2008, developing a reputation as a talented scout. Notable discoveries include Javier Pastore and Josip Ilicic at Palermo, Erik Lamela, Marquinhos, Mehdi Benatia, Kevin Strootman, and Radja Nainggolan at Roma, Rafael Leao, Ismael Bennacer, and Mike Maignan at Milan. At Milan, alongside Paolo Maldini, he helped deliver the Serie A title in the 2021-22 season. After leaving the Rossoneri in 2023, he spent a year away from football before a brief stint at Rennes, and now returns to his hometown club. He will reunite with Luciano Spalletti, with whom he worked at Roma during Francesco Totti’s final season.
Massara was previously considered for a role at Juventus on two prior occasions, in 2023 with support from Allegri, and again last summer under Damien Comolli. This time, however, the move has come to fruition.
