( CNN ) -- AS Roma became the first Italian soccer club to be owned by foreign investors on Saturday when an American group completed its takeover of the Serie A side . The consortium is headed by Thomas DiBenedetto , a partner of the New England Sports Ventures group which owns English club Liverpool and U.S. baseball team the Boston Red Sox . He and his cohorts will have a 60 % stake , with the remainder held by Italy-based European banking organization UniCredit -- which bought the club when president Rosella Sensi last year decided she wanted to sell up . `` The business aspect has been very important but I love Rome and I want to do something big for this city , '' Thomas DiBenedetto told reporters in quotes carried by the UK Press Association . `` I am proud of my Italian origins and for this reason I will do big things . I did n't expect so much attention . `` I knew of the great passion from the Romans and this has been one of the reasons for doing this . `` I share this passion . I never played but my father played in the American Soccer League . '' Founded in 1927 , the club -- nicknamed `` Giallorossi '' ( The Yellow-Reds ) after the team colors -- has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 . Its website lists its share capital as almost €20 million ( $ 28.9 million ) . The Sensi family had been owners for 18 years , and in 2009 announced plans to move away from the Stadio Olimpico and build a new 55,000-capacity ground in the western suburbs of Rome which have yet to come to fruition . Buoyed by the news , Roma went in Saturday 's home match against Palermo in sixth place in the table , 12 points behind leaders AC Milan with six rounds to play . But it ended in a defeat that dented the team 's European hopes for next season despite the Wolves taking a 19th-minute lead through the club 's veteran top scorer Francesco Totti , with the captain netting from the penalty spot . However , Maurizio Pinilla leveled just before halftime also from a penalty after he was fouled , and 20-year-old Uruguayan striker Abel Hernandez scored twice in the last seven minutes before Mirko Vucinic 's late consolation for Roma . AC Milan moved six points clear at the top with a 3-0 victory at home to 17th-placed Sampdoria later in the evening . Veteran Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a freekick driven across the goal into the bottom corner , striker Antonio Cassano netted a penalty nine minutes after halftime and Brazil forward Robinho sealed it on 61 . Sampdoria will drop into the bottom three if Cesena beat bottom club Bari on Sunday , or Brescia win at Genoa . Napoli can reduce the deficit to three again by winning at home to fifth-placed Udinese on Sunday , after which there will be five rounds to play . Third-placed defending champions Inter Milan dropped eight points behind their arch-rivals after a 2-0 loss at lowly Parma , who moved four points clear of the relegation zone . Sebastian Giovinco put Parma ahead in the 36th minute and Amauri -- another striker on loan from Juventus -- made it safe with four minutes to play . It capped a miserable week for Inter , whose European Champions League title defense ended with a 7-3 aggregate quarterfinal defeat against Schalke .
U.S. group becomes first foreign owner of an Italian football club , buying out Roma . Thomas DiBenedetto heads consortium which will have a 60 % holding in Serie A side . - July : Juventus and Napoli announce they are to merge their ownership interests into one company for the next five years. AC Milan move six points clear at the top with a 3-0 victory at home to Sampdoria .