Fiorentina’s billionaire owner Rocco Commisso dies at 76
Rocco Commisso, the Calabria-born American businessman who built Mediacom Communications and bought Fiorentina in 2019, has died at age 76 after a prolonged illness. Fiorentina and Mediacom announced his passing; he was known for his outspoken stance against Italian bureaucracy and for promoting American soccer, including ownership of the New York Cosmos and philanthropic ties to Columbia University (which named its soccer stadium after him). Tributes came from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and others, and Fiorentina noted the club’s on-field struggles this season as they mourn his loss. He is survived by his wife, Catherine, and two children, Giuseppe and Marisa.