A rarely-seen Sunderland board member was in attendance at the club’s pre-season clash vs Nottingham Forest.
Sunderland are in Spain for part of their pre-season preparations under new head coach Regis Le Bris.
So far this summer, the Black Cats have played two friendlies; beating South Shields 5-0 and then losing 2-1 to Gateshead.
In Spain, Sunderland play two friendlies. The first took place on Friday with the Black Cats facing Premier League Nottingham Forest.
The Black Cats drew 1-1 with Jack Clarke coring from the spot as he did against Gateshead previously.
Le Bris named a strong XI and made a number of changes on the 70th minute mark.
Up next for Sunderland is a friendly match vs Eldense in Spain before the first-team squad returns to England for final friendly fixtures vs Blackpool and Bradford City.
For the game vs Nottingham Forest though, Sunderland co-owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus along with twin brother Maurice, and fellow co-owner Juan Sartori.
Juan Sartori spotted at Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest clash
Sartori is the lessen-seen half of the current Sunderland ownership, with Kyril Luis-Dreyfus very much the face of the clubs hierarchy.
Sartori has been with the club since 2018 when he was part of the Madrox ownership group at the time, later staying on board when Louis-Dreyfus first arrived at the Stadium of Light in 2021.
Sartori is rarely-seen by Sunderland fans. But journalist Phil Smith revealed on X that Sartori and the Louis-Dreyfus brothers were in attendance at Sunderland’s game vs Nottingham Forest.
Rare Juan Sartori appearance could hint at one thing for Sunderland
Sunderland have often been criticised for a lack of clarity and communication, with the summer’s managerial search exposing that flaw.
Louis-Dreyfus though, along with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, earned some praise for attending the home shirt launch earlier this summer, along with Le Bris.
And Sartori’s attendance at the Forest game could indicate that he’s also set to make a few more appearances across the season and help give an air of clarity and openness at the club.
He’s often been a very elusive figure. But if he can show himself at Sunderland games in the Championship next season, along with Louis-Dreyfus, then it might help to give them a better and more honest image.
Sunderland kick start their 2024/25 Championship season with a trip to the Welsh capital to face Cardiff City on August 10th.