"We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence and victories" — that's Tim Leiweke, a man who turned the LA Galaxy and Toronto FC into champions and built the stadiums to match. Now he's co-chairman at Venezia FC, and he didn't come cheap.
The Italian club has secured a 100-million-euro ($117.72 million) minority investment, with Canadian rapper Drake — an investor since 2024 — credited with facilitating the deal and bringing Leiweke and his daughter Francesca Bodie into the fold. Bodie has been named club president. This isn't a celebrity vanity project. Leiweke has fingerprints on the Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Galaxy, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The man knows how to run a franchise.
Promotion earned, now the real work begins
The timing matters. Venezia sealed their return to Serie A last week with one game to spare, holding Spezia to a 2-2 draw to secure promotion — just one season after being relegated in 2025. The bounce-back was impressive. Sustaining it against the established clubs in Italy's top flight is a completely different challenge.
That's where €100 million starts to look less like a headline and more like a necessity. Serie A survival for a promoted side without serious financial backing is a grind. With it, Venezia can recruit properly, stabilise the squad depth, and — if Leiweke means what he says about a "world-class home" — potentially address their stadium situation too.
Venezia's odds to survive their first season back in Serie A will be worth watching as the transfer window opens. A club with this kind of backing and this kind of leadership structure arriving in the top flight is not your average relegation candidate — but the gap between ambition and table position has swallowed better-funded projects before.
- Investment total: €100 million ($117.72 million)
- Tim Leiweke appointed co-chairman of Venezia's operating committee
- Francesca Bodie named club president
- Drake has been an investor since 2024
- Venezia promoted after a 2-2 draw at Spezia
Leiweke put it plainly: he's bringing the same formula that built champions in Los Angeles and Toronto to Venice. Whether Serie A plays along is another matter entirely.
