Italian clubs must start playing for the greater good.
In a rare moment of candour, Milan vice-president and CEO Adriano Galliani revealed in April that he would be supporting Inter in the final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich. Of course, his reasons were not rooted entirely in sentimental nationalism; rather, they were motivated by self-preservation. “I will be supporting Inter because of the UEFA rankings,” said Galliani.
“Italy risks losing its ranking as the third placed league, and its four spots in the Champions League.” As it happened, Inter beat Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup, but more importantly for the long term health of Serie A, Galliani touched on an issue that has resonated with many Italian football followers.
It was not as if he was the first to broach the topic of Serie A’s precarious position in the UEFA rankings, but he is the one that can justifiably feel that Milan have borne the onerous task of keeping Italy amongst the ‘Big Three’ leagues (Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premiership are the other two). After all, Milan have played three Champions League Finals this decade, winning two of them, and Galliani has perennially sounded warnings of how important it is for Italian teams to start pulling their weight in Europe.
It is not that the Champions League is paramount in this regard. Even the Europa League—formerly known as the UEFA Cup, but rebranded to produce supposedly more revenue and competition for clubs—yields the same amount of points for success. In the context of Europe’s second tier competition, however, Italian teams have been even worse than in the Champions League, producing not even one Finalist in the last ten years. In short, if Italy continue to rely on one or two clubs to reach the business end of European competition, then Germany’s Bundesliga may well usurp Serie A’s third spot, leaving the Italian league with reduced revenue from Europe’s premier competition, the Champions League.
Functioning in a country not known for its swift and comprehensive response to problems, Serie A risks losing its tag as a one of the best leagues in the world for some time to come. Further, when one considers how well Germany has invested in their footballing structure—state-of-the-art stadia, measures to instill some sort of financial parity between clubs, and highly affordable ticket prices that ensure packed stadia—the Bundesliga could well prolong its stay in third place. In contrast to their German counterparts, Italian stadia are still a dilapidated mess and are home to dystopic and violent clashes between fans and police and fans. If these unsavoury incidents were not bad enough, there is the added problem that stadia in Italy are owned by city councils, meaning that clubs only see a small portion of the revenue generated from ticket sales. In this regard too, Galliani, who can be faulted for everything from being a sycophant to an opportunist in the pay of Italy prime minister Silvio Berlusconi but not for his commitment to make Italian football more competitive, has been crying out for an extensive ownership change, which would allow clubs to refurbish and modernize their stadia. His appeals have so far fallen on deaf ears, and it is this reluctance to change that encapsulates the political and bureaucratic listlessness in the country.
It is not all darkness for Italian football. The arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho (Milan), Hernanes (Lazio), Coutinho (Inter), Rafinha and Miguel Veloso (Genoa) and Adriano (Roma) to the league will undoubtedly boost chances for clubs to make into the latter stages of European competition. Ibrahimovic and Robinho, especially, represent two star signings which show that Italian football can still attract the world’s best players. Indeed, Ibrahimovic and Robinho were categorical in their preference to go to Italy. Germany was never even in their purview. Fiscal responsibility is all and well, but perhaps Bayern Munich aside, Germany still does not boast storied clubs like Milan, Juventus, Inter and even Roma. Players still see Italy as a top league, and maybe even Germany’s imminent rise to third place may do little to change that. Also, Italian clubs benefit from rich benefactors like Silvio Berlusconi and Massimo Moratti, who are not a feature in the do-it-yourself culture of German football. Their largesse may not promote self-sufficiency, but it does ensure that top players keep operating in Italy.
However, the main problem lies not with the Milans and Inters, but rather with the Napolis and Palermos. If these clubs who inhabit the spots below the first four domestically do not start beating the likes of Utrecht and direct Bundesliga competition like Stuttgart, Italy will continue to lose purchase on third spot. Italy must amass a healthy points total this season and hope that Germany does not manage to do the same. The rankings, which can be found here http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method4/crank2011.html , show that it will be nearly impossible for Italy to still be in third place come next season. However, if Serie A consistently does well in Europe for a few more seasons, then it will mean that next season would represent only a purgatorial year for the league.
There, then, needs to be a wholesale change in attitude. Italian clubs, so divided by regional allegiances, must realize that doing well in Europe is essential for the country’s footballing set-up. For once, Galliani’s altruism may not be entirely cynical.
“Italy risks losing its ranking as the third placed league, and its four spots in the Champions League.” As it happened, Inter beat Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup, but more importantly for the long term health of Serie A, Galliani touched on an issue that has resonated with many Italian football followers.
It was not as if he was the first to broach the topic of Serie A’s precarious position in the UEFA rankings, but he is the one that can justifiably feel that Milan have borne the onerous task of keeping Italy amongst the ‘Big Three’ leagues (Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premiership are the other two). After all, Milan have played three Champions League Finals this decade, winning two of them, and Galliani has perennially sounded warnings of how important it is for Italian teams to start pulling their weight in Europe.
It is not that the Champions League is paramount in this regard. Even the Europa League—formerly known as the UEFA Cup, but rebranded to produce supposedly more revenue and competition for clubs—yields the same amount of points for success. In the context of Europe’s second tier competition, however, Italian teams have been even worse than in the Champions League, producing not even one Finalist in the last ten years. In short, if Italy continue to rely on one or two clubs to reach the business end of European competition, then Germany’s Bundesliga may well usurp Serie A’s third spot, leaving the Italian league with reduced revenue from Europe’s premier competition, the Champions League.
Functioning in a country not known for its swift and comprehensive response to problems, Serie A risks losing its tag as a one of the best leagues in the world for some time to come. Further, when one considers how well Germany has invested in their footballing structure—state-of-the-art stadia, measures to instill some sort of financial parity between clubs, and highly affordable ticket prices that ensure packed stadia—the Bundesliga could well prolong its stay in third place. In contrast to their German counterparts, Italian stadia are still a dilapidated mess and are home to dystopic and violent clashes between fans and police and fans. If these unsavoury incidents were not bad enough, there is the added problem that stadia in Italy are owned by city councils, meaning that clubs only see a small portion of the revenue generated from ticket sales. In this regard too, Galliani, who can be faulted for everything from being a sycophant to an opportunist in the pay of Italy prime minister Silvio Berlusconi but not for his commitment to make Italian football more competitive, has been crying out for an extensive ownership change, which would allow clubs to refurbish and modernize their stadia. His appeals have so far fallen on deaf ears, and it is this reluctance to change that encapsulates the political and bureaucratic listlessness in the country.
It is not all darkness for Italian football. The arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho (Milan), Hernanes (Lazio), Coutinho (Inter), Rafinha and Miguel Veloso (Genoa) and Adriano (Roma) to the league will undoubtedly boost chances for clubs to make into the latter stages of European competition. Ibrahimovic and Robinho, especially, represent two star signings which show that Italian football can still attract the world’s best players. Indeed, Ibrahimovic and Robinho were categorical in their preference to go to Italy. Germany was never even in their purview. Fiscal responsibility is all and well, but perhaps Bayern Munich aside, Germany still does not boast storied clubs like Milan, Juventus, Inter and even Roma. Players still see Italy as a top league, and maybe even Germany’s imminent rise to third place may do little to change that. Also, Italian clubs benefit from rich benefactors like Silvio Berlusconi and Massimo Moratti, who are not a feature in the do-it-yourself culture of German football. Their largesse may not promote self-sufficiency, but it does ensure that top players keep operating in Italy.
However, the main problem lies not with the Milans and Inters, but rather with the Napolis and Palermos. If these clubs who inhabit the spots below the first four domestically do not start beating the likes of Utrecht and direct Bundesliga competition like Stuttgart, Italy will continue to lose purchase on third spot. Italy must amass a healthy points total this season and hope that Germany does not manage to do the same. The rankings, which can be found here http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method4/crank2011.html , show that it will be nearly impossible for Italy to still be in third place come next season. However, if Serie A consistently does well in Europe for a few more seasons, then it will mean that next season would represent only a purgatorial year for the league.
There, then, needs to be a wholesale change in attitude. Italian clubs, so divided by regional allegiances, must realize that doing well in Europe is essential for the country’s footballing set-up. For once, Galliani’s altruism may not be entirely cynical.
