Ecclestone and His €270M Bid for AS Roma

The worlds of Formula 1 and football have crossed paths many times through commercial deals, negotiations, and high-level talks. And today, a surprising story from the early 2000s has resurfaced: Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio briatore came very close to buying a stake in AS Roma.

A deal that, had it gone through, might have changed the club’s history. A team that today stands among Europe’s solid contenders, with the 2022 Conference League won under Josè Mourinho and, in the 2025 season, sitting at the top of the Serie A table with Gasperini, fresh off his 2024 Europa League victory.

As Roma, Rosella Sensi and the 400 million debt

The story was revealed by Argentine agent Luis Ruzzi, who explained how those negotiations really unfolded.

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Rosella Sensi, the club’s former owner, put Roma up for sale in 2011 after inheriting it from her father. She was immediately contacted by Ruzzi, who then called his friend Ecclestone. The two had known each other since the days they worked together on the Argentine Grand Prix.

Ruzzi suggested that Bernie consider buying the club, possibly involving Flavio Briatore. The idea wasn’t impossible, but Briatore’s strong ties with Juventus executive Giraudo complicated things. Still, negotiations began: Ecclestone put €270 million on the table to purchase Roma.

The issue? It wasn’t enough. Rosella Sensi was carrying around €400 million in debt, meaning any offer below that threshold simply couldn’t be accepted. Faced with a higher price tag, Ecclestone backed out abruptly.

The second failed attempt to buy, game over

Some time later, the story reached Claudio Lotito, president of Lazio, who tried to convince Ecclestone again, offering himself as mediator. But this time the deal collapsed even earlier: Bernie Ecclestone, busy with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, declared he had lost all interest.

And the rest is history: Formula 1 and AS Roma never truly crossed paths.
Still, tales like this — strange, unexpected, and a bit fascinating — are always worth telling.