CHICAGO (August 18, 2021) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto has purchased Swiss Super League club FC Lugano.
“We now have a partner club where, when permitted, players can move between clubs – from Chicago to Lugano and vice versa,” said Mansueto. “The Clubs will support one another and share best practices. We want to bring joy to the fans of Lugano and continue to grow the club. I’d like to thank our Sporting Director Georg Heitz for his hard work and vision to acquire FC Lugano. We are fully committed to investing in both of our teams and we’re extremely excited about the future.”
Located in Lugano, Switzerland, near the Italian border, FC Lugano is a 113-year-old club, founded in 1908. The club has played in the Swiss Super League during multiple periods in their history, most recently from 2015 to present. The club plays at Stadio Cornaredo. Over the years, the club has participated in European Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Champions League Qualifiers and UEFA Europa League.
The club’s current roster features players from 10 countries including Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Kosovo, Portugal, Nigeria, Slovenia, and Uruguay.
About FC Lugano
FC Lugano was founded in 1908 and is the only Swiss top-tier club located in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. FC Lugano has won the Swiss Championship in 1938, 1941 and 1949 and the Swiss Cup in 1931, 1968 and 1993. In 2015, the club rejoined the Swiss Super League and qualified twice, in 2017 and 2019, for the UEFA Europa League group stage after two third place finishes in the domestic Championship.
About Chicago Fire FC
The Chicago Fire Football Club was founded in 1997 on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and will celebrate its 25th season in Major League Soccer in 2022. The Fire have won six major domestic championship titles, including the 1998 MLS Cup, the 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups, as well as the 2003 Supporters’ Shield. The Club's charitable arm, the Chicago Fire Foundation, was recognized as ESPN’s 2019 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. The Fire plays their home matches at historic Soldier Field. For more information, visit chicagofirefc.com.
About Joe Mansueto
Joe Mansueto is Owner and Chairman of Chicago Fire FC. Since acquiring the Club in September 2019, he has made significant changes – including moving the team back to Soldier Field – that have created renewed excitement for Fire fans across Chicagoland.
Prior to owning the Fire, Mansueto founded Morningstar in 1984 and became executive chairman in 2017. He has served as chairman of the board of directors from the company’s inception, and as chief executive officer from 1984 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2016.
Before founding Morningstar, Mansueto was a securities analyst at Harris Associates. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Mansueto was formerly a member of the board of directors for Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Mansueto, his wife, Rika, and their children live in Chicago.
