Inside Juventus’ Leadership Crisis: What Cost Giuntoli His Job?

With Cristiano Giuntoli’s departure now imminent, pending only the severance agreement, and the official exit of Francesco Calvo, Juventus is heading toward its fourth management overhaul in as many years.

This latest shift is the most abrupt. It marks the end of a project that began to falter six months ago during Thiago Motta’s crisis, which eventually led to his dismissal in March. It also signals the removal of an executive who, just two years ago, had signed a five-year contract. That unusually long commitment, reminiscent of a more rigid system, clashed with Juventus’s tradition of offering three-year terms to its executives.

Giuntoli now finds himself paying the price for the technical failure associated with Thiago Motta, who was often criticized for poor and at times eccentric decisions. At the same time, Giuntoli lacked the full support needed to succeed.

Perhaps more than anything, Giuntoli pays the price for trying to lead Juventus alone. Steering such a massive club is no easy task. Juve is a giant with its own internal codes, a deep sense of identity, and a weighty legacy of history and success that cannot be brushed aside. Anyone in charge must come to terms with all of it.