The general states at the Sport Festival: “This is how football is relaunched”

Italian football is like that patient who fell ill almost without realizing it, who ignored the first symptoms, then got worse and now he has noticed the situation. There is the possibility to heal and also to get back in shape as many years ago, as long as you intervene quickly and with the right therapy. There is no more time to waste and it was reiterated yesterday in Trento to the General States of Italian football, the forum organized within the framework of the events of the Sport Festival. Moderating the debate was Andrea Di Caro, deputy director of the Gazzetta dello Sport, who touched on the main points of the Italian football crisis by inviting guests to indicate the best ways to get out of the crisis. Present were the president of RCS Mediagroup and Torino Calcio Urbano Cairo, the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina, the president of Lega Serie A Lorenzo Casini, the CEO for Italy of Dazn Stefano Azzi and the CEO of Sky Italia Andrea Duilio.

The numbers

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The meeting opened with a detailed report by Francesco Carione, general manager of the Gazzetta dello Sport, on the numbers of the crisis in our football: numbers that highlight the decline in revenues, the significantly lower value of Serie A foreign TV rights compared to the Premier League. and also in La Liga, the lack of owned stadiums and scarce investments in the youth sectors. Merciless numbers, which no triumph can hide. The European title won by Mancini’s national team in 2021 was a great joy and also the Conference League raised by Rome a few months ago was a great satisfaction, but it was isolated companies. The reality, underlined by Carione in his speech, is the lack of successes in the Champions League and in the Europa League in the last ten years. Like us, only Ligue 1: a demonstration of the suffering of the whole system, made even more evident by the sensational elimination from the second consecutive World Cup. That’s why there is no more time to waste, that’s why everyone agrees that it’s time to reverse course and do something to revive Italian football.

We need to change, everyone thinks and says it. But how? Gravina explains: “The high indebtedness of the system worries us as the fear of change, which is often seen as a threat and not as an important opportunity. We are at a point of no return.” And to get out of the stalemate Gravina already knows what to do: “On 21 December there will be an extraordinary assembly in which I will propose the abolition of the right of veto. It is not possible that one component can block the growth of the whole system. On this issue I’ll go all the way “. Argument that obviously does not leave Casini insensitive. In Lega Serie A there is no lack of conflicts, but the president prefers to smooth out the corners and try to convey a bit of optimism even by dealing with a particularly delicate issue: “We are starting to talk about the right of veto, but I would reverse the question: if important decisions are made on one of the components of the world of football, I find it right that there is also the consent of that component. Imposing a decision would seem excessive to me. However the situation of Italian football is less dramatic than it seems, the contrasts between the Lega and the Federation are physiological, there have always been and always will be, but profound reforms are also needed to help the system get back on its feet “. And it would also be useful to go back to what was done in the past, how to work well in the youth sectors, the first resource of every club: “Investments in nurseries must be encouraged”, asks Cairo who knows well how important it is to find valid resources for the first time in the youth sector. squad. And Gravina also hypothesizes to expand the number of Italians to be included in the list of 25 players that can be used in the league: this would also be a strong signal in a particularly difficult moment. Everything can be precious, but the issue of the governance of the League remains very current and of fundamental definition, precisely to ensure future stability: “It is not easy to make common decisions – admits Casini -. We have the idea of ​​creating a media company that deals with the marketing of the Serie A football product, while the assembly would continue to deal with everything concerning the sporting part. And then the revenues must also be sought outside: I am referring above all to the bets of which even indirect advertising in the stadiums is prohibited, unlike other countries “.

Certainly Italian football needs to find balance from an economic point of view. Cairo, president of a club that is always attentive to sustainability, underlines a problem: “The pandemic has increased costs and decreased revenues. Nothing is irreparable, companies recover and Italian football can return to a high level by changing the register and lowering the costs, which largely derive from wages. In the past, revenues increased and immediately afterwards so did wages and therefore costs. We would need a rule that stipulates not to spend more than 60-70% of revenues on wages “. And Gravina agrees: 2Our proposal will be differentiated as follows: in 2023-24 we will be able to spend 80% of revenues on labor costs, in 2024-25 we will drop to 70% and in 2025-26 to 60%. We will be strict in the analysis of objective data to ensure economic sustainability. “There is great regret for not having taken advantage of the opportunity offered by the funds. It would have been more than a breath of fresh air in a time of great difficulty for all companies: “There seemed to be a common will – recalls Cairo – and those large sums would have been invested in structures or other initiatives. Then a couple of clubs changed their minds and the whole system lost a great opportunity. La Liga has followed the path of funds and revenues are rewarding that choice. “

It is also a priority to eradicate piracy: too many people can see the games without subscribing. President Cairo points out: “Between Dazn and Sky there are about 5.5 million subscribers. It is estimated that another 2 million people access the football product without paying: this is a fundamental issue”. It is right that the interests of those who invest in football are protected and that the rights of those who pay regularly are recognized. “In England, anyone who broadcasts a game without having the rights is immediately blocked – explains Andrea Duilio, CEO of Sky Italia -. In Italy the reaction times in the face of these problems are different. Piracy takes away jobs, gives money to the underworld , it is a lack of respect for the Italians who pay and demeans the value of the product. Beyond this, the goal is to broaden the target by making the contents spectacular, as happened with great success in Formula 1: the Grand Prix they are always the same, but the way of transmitting them and experiencing them as a spectator has changed “. Stefano Azzi, CEO of Dazn Italia, also focuses on the public and its needs, in line with modern models of interaction: “We need to work on streaming and on the expansion of content by proposing stories that revolve around football. We would like to make people interact. even more users. And then it would be essential to extend the duration of the rights, perhaps making them become ten years, to encourage and justify further investments “.

Italian football must also rediscover appeal by offering fans more welcoming and modern facilities. It has been talked about for a long time now, but unfortunately, with the exception of some virtuous examples, the problem is still absolutely compelling. Gabriele Gravina, president of the Federation, recalls the importance of the next candidacy for the European 2032 also from this point of view: “The organization of the tournament would give us a great boost. And we also need help from politics: at this moment the clubs are not they could invest in stadiums because they have to amortize the previous debt and at the same time maximize the sporting result in order not to lose further positions “. And Lorenzo Casini, top of the Serie A League, underlines how “the table for the stadiums had already been set up, but not called for the fall of the government. Now we are waiting for the elections to promptly reopen the discussion. But this is not only a priority. for the Lega Serie A, but for the whole Italian football system “.