Scotland triumphs on Italy’s Lake Iseo: Caledonian Braves win fourth edition of the FENIX Trophy, a Brera Holdings event property called “Champions League for amateurs” by BBC Sport

Victorious Caledonian Braves celebrate Scotland and the team’s win in the FENIX Trophy Championship match over FC United of Manchester earlier this month in Lake Iseo, Italy

/EIN News/ -- Dublin, Ireland and Milan, Italy, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brera Holdings PLC (“Brera Holdings” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BREA), an Ireland-based international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men’s and women’s football clubs and properties through a multi-club ownership (“MCO”) strategy, announced that Scottish club Caledonia Braves defeated Englishe side FC United of Manchester (“FCUM”) 3-1 in the finals of the Fenix Trophy, held earlier this month on the shores of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, Italy.

The fourth edition of the FENIX Trophy, an international football tournament that this year involved 16 non-professional teams from 12 different European countries, has been called ‘Champions League for amateurs’ by BBC Sport, and obtained official recognition from UEFA for the 2025 version.

Picturesque Lake Iseo, equally divided by the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia, and its Stadium De Rossi, was the venue for four teams battling to win the title. The Braves prevailed in their first ever Fenix Trophy appearance, against two-time champions FCUM. Third place went to the Belgians of Berchem Sport, a club from Antwerp, who beat another English team, Avro FC, in the consolation final.

The FENIX Trophy has become a ground-breaking international sporting event, conceived and organized by Brera Holdings’ Milan-based football club Brera FC, active since the 2021/2022 season. It involves European non-professional clubs (each one paired with a charity partner), chosen for their exceptional social, historical and cultural distinctiveness.

ABOUT THE FENIX TROPHY

The FENIX Trophy, a Brera Holdings PLC event property, began its fourth edition in September 2024, expanding from 12 to 16 participants, and featured the clubs facing each other in a knockout tournament with two-legged matches over two rounds. Clubs from 14 different countries were represented in the tournament: Poland, Belgium, Wales, England, Denmark, Romania, Italy, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and Czech Republic.

The competition’s meaning goes beyond the simple football aspect. The FENIX Trophy is an experience of sporting exchange, meant to highlight best practices within non-professional football: sporting conduct, bonds with the local community, sustainability, use of technologies, and friendship among clubs.

The trophy’s symbol is a phoenix, the mythological bird that regenerates from its predecessor’s ashes: it stands as a metaphor and a wish for the rebirth of new football models. FENIX, however, also has meaning as an acronym.

FRIENDLY — The distinctive character of the competition is based on creating a friendly environment for clubs, players, and supporters. This marks a significant difference from professional tournaments, where the clubs are set in arbitrary opposition to each other.

EUROPEAN — The tournament aims to develop a cooperative network between some of the most important cities in Europe: Milan, Rome, Manchester, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Warsaw, Prague and Valencia. Tournament travel is designed to increase a sense of European belonging among participants and supporters.

NON-PROFESSIONAL — The idea of the focus on amateur clubs is to draw attention to alternative football models. The purpose is to show that such alternatives, full as they are of fans’ passion, can provide great sporting and social involvement.

INNOVATIVE — Such an event is unprecedented in the non-professional football world. An additional innovation is to bring clubs together based on affinity (in this case, being iconic clubs) rather than simply on football ranking (although the clubs are quite similar in their footballing level).

XENIAL — From the Ancient Greek xènos, the word indicates an attitude of hospitality towards strangers, maintaining a mutual respect of cultural differences. In each match, in fact, the away club is fully hosted by the home team. The competition intends to make this attitude the shared sentiment of the tournament – and expand this idea outwards.

For more information, visit https://fenixtrophy.eu/about-us/.

ABOUT BRERA HOLDINGS PLC

Brera Holdings PLC(Nasdaq: BREA) is dedicated to expanding its social impact football business by developing a global portfolio of emerging football and sports clubs. Building on the legacy of Brera FC, which it acquired in 2022, the Company aims to create opportunities for tournament prizes, sponsorships, and professional consulting services. Brera FC, recognized as "The Third Team of Milan," has been crafting an alternative football legacy since its founding in 2000. The club also organizes the FENIX Trophy, a nonprofessional pan-European tournament officially recognized by UEFA. This tournament, which has been referred to as "the Champions League for Amateurs" by BBC Sport, has garnered significant media coverage, including from ESPN.

In its efforts to broaden its reach, Brera expanded into Africa in March 2023 by establishing Brera Tchumene FC in Mozambique, which quickly rose to the First Division after winning its post-season tournament. In April 2023, the Company acquired a 90% stake in the North Macedonian first-division team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC. Additionally, in June 2023, Brera made a strategic investment in Manchester United PLC, realizing a 74% gain. The Company has further diversified its portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in UYBA Volley, an Italian women's professional volleyball team, in July 2023, assuming control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a Mongolian National Premier League team, which became Brera Ilch FC, in September 2023, and establishing a joint stock company for the North Macedonian women's football club Tiverija Strumica, now known as Brera Tiverija FC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC, in June 2024.

On December 31, 2024, Brera executed an agreement to acquire majority stake of the corporate capital of Juve Stabia srl, the company which manages the Italian Serie B football club Juve Stabia, also known as “The Second Team of Naples”. The acquisition will be conducted in a multi-step process and marks a significant expansion of the Company’s MCO model. Since February 12, 2025, Brera has held a 38.46% equity ownership interest in Juve Stabia.  With a strategic emphasis on bottom-up value creation, innovation-driven growth, and socially impactful outcomes, Brera Holdings has established itself as a forward-thinking leader in the global sports industry. For more information, visit www.breraholdings.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company's ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, the popularity and/or competitive success of the Company's acquired football and other sports teams, the Company's ability to attract players and staff for acquired clubs, unsuccessful acquisitions or other strategic transactions, the possibility of a decline in the popularity of football or other sports, the Company's ability to expand its fanbase, sponsors and commercial partners, general economic conditions, and other risk factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update such forward-looking statements except in accordance with applicable law.

Company Contact Information:
Dan McClory, Executive Chairman, Brera Holdings PLC
Email: dan@breraholdings.com

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• Victorious Caledonian Braves celebrate Scotland and the team’s win in the FENIX Trophy Championship match over FC United of Manchester earlier this month in Lake Iseo, Italy