Even as Vieira packed his bags, Genoa wasted no time in appointing new figures to provide fresh direction to the club. Diego Lopez, who was formerly the sporting director at RC Lens, has been officially recruited as Genoa’s new Chief of Football. This is an attempt to restructure their sporting hierarchy as the club is desperate for stability. According to reports in Italy, Lopez reportedly met Vieira last night and had agreed to delay any major decisions until next week. Yet by morning, the Frenchman had decided he’d had enough and walked away from the club.
Club President Dan Sucu and CEO Andres Bazquez hailed Lopez’s arrival and said, “We trust his prerogative, both human and professional, to give an impulse to the sporting area strategy and to optimise the operative plans, both in the short and the long-term.”
Lopez, whose career has spanned scouting and technical roles at Monaco, Lille, Bordeaux and Excelsior Mouscron, vowed to honour Genoa’s proud traditions: “I thank the owners and management for their faith in me. It is an honour to work for a club with such great tradition, wonderful fans, and a clear project on which action to take. Sporting ambition and identity must characterise our journey. I trust that I am up to the standards of the expectations of this great Club and wish to salute all those who care about Genoa.”