Socceroos legend takes over football club in Italy’s Mafia heartland - after a severed pig’s head decorated in a wig and glasses was delivered to his predecessor!
- Vince Grella has been appointed as new CEO of Italian club Catania
- The former Socceroos star spent a decade in Italy with four different clubs
- Catania were in Serie A a decade ago but now ply their trade in the fourth tier
Socceroos great Vince Grella has been appointed as the new CEO of Catania, joining Australian businessman Ross Pelligra's bid to restore the club into Italy's top division after a turbulent decade.
Ten years ago, Catania were one of three Sicilian clubs plying their trade in Serie A along with Mark Bresciano's Palermo and Messina.
But consecutive relegations and financial plight saw Catania tumble down to third division, while their former owner was arrested after pleading guilty of match fixing.
![Former Australia midfielder Vince Grell has been appointed as CEO of Italian club Catania](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/29/16/67095157-0-image-m-2_1675010014426.jpg)
Former Australia midfielder Vince Grell has been appointed as CEO of Italian club Catania
Catania went bankrupt and were dissolved, before being allowed to start life in the semi-professional Serie D - the fourth tier of Italian football - as a so-called 'phoenix club'.
Pelligra - a property developer who has invested hundreds of millions into projects across Australia - won the tender to take charge of the new iteration of Catania and set about implementing a drastic overhaul.
Following advice from his business partner Bresciano, Pelligra appointed Grella as the club's new CEO.
The former Socceroos knows Italy well having spent a decade in the country with Empoli, Parma, Ternana and Torino and is fully aware of the challenges awaiting him.
![Catania played in Serie A between 2006 and 2014 but are now plying their trade in the fourth tier of Italian football after going bankrupt and folding](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/29/16/67095159-0-image-m-4_1675010076411.jpg)
Catania played in Serie A between 2006 and 2014 but are now plying their trade in the fourth tier of Italian football after going bankrupt and folding
![Former Socceroos star Mark Bresciano introduced Grella to Catania's new owner, the Australian businessman Ross Pelligra](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/29/16/67095161-0-image-a-5_1675010122385.jpg)
Former Socceroos star Mark Bresciano introduced Grella to Catania's new owner, the Australian businessman Ross Pelligra
'This is an unbelievable opportunity,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'And I would only do it with someone of the seriousness of the Pelligra Group – because here, they can chew you up and spit you out in five minutes if you don’t have serious people behind you.'
To put Grella's words into context, four years ago a number of Catania's ultras broke into the team's Stadio Angelo Massimino and left a severed pig's head on the premises.
![Bresciano (front) and Grella (back) played for Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/29/16/67095155-0-image-a-6_1675010130153.jpg)
Bresciano (front) and Grella (back) played for Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups
Incredibly, the head was decorated with a wig and a pair of glasses to resemble the then-CEO, whom the fans wanted fired.
Pelligra and Grella could yet be joined by a third Australian in the shape of Bresciano, who spent over a decade in Italy playing with Parma, Empoli, Palermo and Lazio.
The former Socceroos midfielder is one of Pelligra's business partners and introduced him to Grella, whom he played for the Socceroos at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
'They were down at the bottom of the barrel,' Grella said of Catania.
'Then comes along three Aussie guys. Everything’s going in the right direction, but I think the key is that the club has a direction to follow. The people are seeing an opportunity to have longer-term, sustainable success.'
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