The ball of Italian Serie A is pictured before the Italian Serie A football match between Juventus and Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on March 10, 2024. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli warns politicians can ‘continue turning the other way, or turn this deep crisis into an opportunity to revitalise’ football in Italy.
The Nazionale failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the World Cup, and have no clubs in the semi-finals of the UEFA tournaments this season.
With the search on for a new FIGC President and reforms proposed, Lega Serie A President Simonelli presented the case to the Commission for Culture.
Serie A pushing for new stadiums
“If we are here today, it is not just because we missed two penalties in the shoot-out with Bosnia, and we must work hard to bring Italian football back to the glories of the past,” said Simonelli.
“The analysis of the state of our football cannot help but start from the fact that, for the top five European leagues, TV rights money has stagnated, but the revenue from stadiums has climbed significantly.
“Our Serie A stadiums are the oldest in Europe, and comparing the revenue of the new Bernabeu with the current San Siro, which is today the best performing Italian stadium when it comes to income, it’s a gap of 350 per cent. Real Madrid’s new stadium brings in €250m compared to San Siro’s €70m.”
It is no secret where the problems lie there, as clubs have battled for decades to get new stadiums built, only for Inter, Milan, Roma, Lazio, Napoli, Fiorentina, Cagliari and Venezia to run into endless red tape.
Of those who did manage to get stadiums revamped, such as Juventus, Atalanta and Udinese, it was by reconstructing existing arenas.
With EURO 2032 coming up and Italy co-hosting with Turkiye, it’s going to be a race against time to get five stadiums ready for the competition.
“Politics can continue to turn the other way, trying to impose even more restrictive and penalising rules, even thinking of putting the Federation under receivership,” continued Simonelli.
“Or it could turn this deep crisis into an opportunity to revitalise football in Italy. I believe we can emerge from this crisis only if politics and Serie A are able to sit on the same side of the table and work together, without political differences or reciprocal prejudice preventing us from doing what is best for Italian football.
“I have too much respect for Italian politicians to believe they are not interested in giving their contribution to Italy’s favourite sport.”
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