Juventus Fan Token Sinks 13% After $1.3B Tether Bid Rejected
ReadJuventus’ fan token (JUV) slid more than 13% from its intraday peak after a takeover bid of 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) by stablecoin issuer Tether was rebuffed.JUV climbed to over $0.85, its highest mark since the start of November, at around 21:00 UTC on Sunday, but subsequently tracked downward to fall below $0.74 as of the early European morning on Monday, according to CoinGecko data.STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy .The token’s decline contrasted with a sharp rally in Juventus Football Club’s publicly listed shares, which jumped just over 14% on Monday to 2.50 euros, following news of Tether’s all-cash proposal and its rejection by controlling shareholder Exor.Tether’s all-cash proposal, made Friday at a 21% premium and valuing Juventus at 1.1 billion euros, marks one of the most significant crypto-backed moves into professional sports to date. Tether operates USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization.Crypto exchanges invested $568 million in sports sponsorships for the 2024-2025 season, a 20% year-over-year increase, according to sports marketing firm SportQuake. Soccer still dominates, accounting for nearly 60% of all new sponsorships.Tether, already Juventus’ second-largest shareholder with an 11.53% stake in the club, on Friday made an all-cash proposal to buy Exor’s 65.4% holding for 2.66 euros a share, according to a letter sent to Exor and seen by Bloomberg.Exor, the Agnelli family-controlled holding company, whose assets include automaker Stellantis (Fiat), released a statement on Saturday, saying it has “no intention of selling any of its shares in Juventus to a third party, including but not restricted to El Salvador-based Tether.”
