Feature: Italy Bids 'Addio' to Agnelli

Gianni Agnelli, the charismatic Italian patriarch who died today, was more than just a defining figure in post-war Italian industry.

He was the guiding hand behind two of the country's greatest sporting institutions -- Juventus football club and the Ferrari Formula One team. Agnelli left his Fiat business in trouble but he could not have left his two sporting passions better placed -- Juventus are champions of Italy and Ferrari are champions of the world.

Twenty-six times Italian champions Juventus have effectively been in the hands of the Agnelli family since 1923 when Gianni's father Edoardo was elected president.

Gianni, full name Giovanni, took over the reins in 1947 and during his eight years as president established the Turin side as the most popular team in the country and beyond.

"His involvement was decisive in making Juventus into one of the greatest football clubs in the world," Italian Football Federation president Franco Carraro said on Friday.

As a mark of respect all professional soccer matches in Italy will hold a minute's silence this weekend.

Agnelli also set the mould for the modern Italian club president -- a charismatic, stylish and wealthy businessman with a talent for one-liners and an ability to press the right populist buttons with supporters.

Sport helped turn a Turin car factory owner into a celebrity, known simply as 'L'Avvocato' (the lawyer) -- an approach replicated by the Moratti family at Inter Milan and later current Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi at AC Milan.

Final Word

Although for the bulk of his life Agnelli formally held only an honorary position at Juventus, there was never any doubt that his word was final when it came to major decisions such as big-money signings or the appointment of a coach.

His involvement in Formula One came later. The Agnelli family bought a 50 percent stake in Ferrari in 1969 and by 1988 they owned 90 percent of the business.

While Agnelli had a much more backseat approach to his F1 team than to Juventus he is credited as the man who replaced Enzo Ferrari's individualistic and autocratic style with an approach to teamwork imported from Juventus and a business sense gleaned from Fiat.

Perhaps his most important decision was to appoint Luca di Montezemolo as company president. Under his guidance Ferrari has re-established itself as the dominant force in the sport, with German Michael Schumacher winning three straight world titles.

It was a long, hard climb back to the top for Ferrari but Montezemolo said Agnelli had always kept the faith.

"The death of Giovanni Agnelli leaves an unfillable void in my life," said the Ferrari chief.

"For over 35 years, his friendship and affection provided me with an incomparable reference point. I can never forget how often he was close to me during the most difficult moments and I attribute Ferrari's success to him, knowing full well what a fundamental role he played in achieving it."

Schumacher also paid tribute, saying: "I am deeply saddened by the death of 'Avvocato' Agnelli. I always had a profound respect for him and I consider myself proud to have known him.

"Every time we met, I was made aware of his great understanding and interest in Ferrari, Formula One and soccer, as well as his sensitivity to the problems of the world."

Down To Earth

As one who spent his youth driving racing cars and who later became a regular among the yacht set on the Italian Riviera, Agnelli clearly fitted in well in the glamorous world of F1. But he was equally at home in the down to earth setting of Juve's Turin training ground.

He enjoyed a pitch-side chat with the international players he bought for Juve such as Frenchman Michele Platini, Welshman John Charles and Italians like Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio and current favourite Alessandro Del Piero.

His status was such that the visits to training sessions were guaranteed frontpage stories in the Italian sports press even if his only comment was one of his trademark dry quips.

Every year he brought Juventus 'home' to play an in-house friendly game close to his residence in Villar Perosa.

"He was informed about everything, about the goalkeepers, about the attackers," said Dino Zoff, Juventus goalkeeper of the 1970s and 1980s and a World Cup winner in 1982.

"He asked about everything but notwithstanding that, his presence was always discreet."

Outside Italy, Agnelli was closely involved with the Olympic movement, helping to bring the 2006 Winter Games to Turin.

In 1999, he was invited by the IOC to join the executive committee of the "IOC 2000" commission in charge of reviewing all facets of the organisation.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said he would be missed.

"Italy, which will host the Winter Games in Turin in 2006, is losing one of its mentors. Mr Agnelli was an incomparable businessman and a strong supporter of sport.

"Thanks to his experience and charisma, Mr Agnelli greatly contributed to bringing the Olympic Movement through to a new era."