Never let it be said that Italy doesn’t know how to sabotage its national sport. For years, various Italian governments and political parties have put up roadblocks when it comes to building new stadiums throughout the country, to the point where it has almost turned into a tragicomedy to see what kind of excuse politicians come up with in order to avoid erecting new arenas and modernise the Italian game.
While clubs can be accused of a lack of foresight over the years, adding the waste of TV money on players and coaches instead of infrastructure and a not unusual vision on how to market Serie A and its products, the Italian state is now moving in the same direction.
However, the law is set to expire on January 1 and many in Italian football have lamented that the Italian state has extended it. “It’s a very stupid decision,” Lazio president Lotito told Notizie. com.
“I’d like to see who needs to come here from now on. And the state will also lose out, because it will get less revenue. Lazio don’t have any specific problems in terms of contracts, but Milan, Juventus and Roma are in danger of being destroyed by this kind of situation.
According to website Calcio e Finanza, Roma have racked up around $23 million (€21 million) in wages this season thanks to the decree. Milan have amassed around $22 million (€20 million) and part of their ability to tie star Rafael Leao to a long-term contract due in part to the use of the executive order. Juve stockpiled around $18 million (€17 million), while Napoli $15 million (€14 million).
It was thought that the decree would be extended by a month until February 1, making certain Italian groups able to use the law in the January transfer window, but this is no longer the case and there are excellent reasons to be concerned about the Serie To future.
With money for television dwindling and a fancy stadium still to be built, the decree was the only influence Italian groups had in a market in which they have long since ceased to be the main players in the tournament. With each passing decade, Serie A’s strength in the market has come to an end, declining more than last, and any star qualities they have been able to bring to the league in recent years, is thanks to the executive order.
Pressure from the Italian Players’ Association led the government to abandon the decree, arguing that it penalised young Italian players when they entered the first groups of Serie A. The decree was not adopted until early 2020, but Italian groups have favored foreign players. skill for years, so the Players Association’s argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
What the government fail to see, or perhaps is choosing to ignore, is the fact that people more often than not watch football leagues for star players, if Serie A can’t compete to sign them in the future, the already diminished status of the league is only going to be damaged further, and thus bringing in even less TV money.
Also, the old saying that “if you’re smart enough, do it” still applies here. If the young Italian talents are smart enough, they will succeed in the most sensible of Serie A, regardless of whether there is foreign talent or not. But the abolition of the enlargement decree hampers the rehabilitation of Italian football and weakens an already battered product.