American Platek family buys Italian Serie A club Spezia

Serie A football is in an elite class of its own, and it has been our long-held ambition to find the right opportunity to partner with a special club in Italy.

Spezia became the fifth Serie A club under American ownership when it was bought by the Platek family on Thursday.

American investor Robert Platek and his family, who are from New York, took over from Italian entrepreneur Gabriele Volpi.

''We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Spezia Calcio,'' the family said in a statement. ''Serie A football is in an elite class of its own, and it has been our long-held ambition to find the right opportunity to partner with a special club in Italy. ... We are humbled by this opportunity to become stewards of the club. ''As a family, we are proud to play a small role in helping the team to grow, achieve further success and make the fans proud.'' The statement added that the family are ''long-time, avid supporters of Serie A football.'' The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although the statement sait it was a personal investment by the Platek family and it is not affiliated with MSD Capital -- the private equity firm where Robert Platek is a partner.

Volpi took over the club in 2008 and had a successful tenure during which Spezia progressed from the fourth division to its first season in the top flight.

Philip Platek, Robert's brother, has been named Spezia vice-chairman in the only change to the club's management team.

Vincenzo Italiano will remain as coach. Spezia is currently 16th in the 20-team league, six points above the relegation zone.

AC Milan, Fiorentina, Roma and Parma are also American-owned. Canadian Joey Saputo is in charge at Bologna. AP KHSKHS

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