Inter President Erick Thohir warned Serie A to be open to “globalisation” and “another Calciopoli would be death.”
The Indonesian patron spoke to CNN about his experience buying out a Serie A club.
Inter President Erick Thohir warned Serie A to be open to “globalisation” and “another Calciopoli would be death.”
The Indonesian patron spoke to CNN about his experience buying out a Serie A club.
“Every component of Italian football, the Government, the clubs, the League have to be more friendly to globalisation.
“Look at Major League Soccer, a lot of foreign investors are in the US because the way the industry is structured is very transparent and for investors it is secure. They understand before coming to the game what to expect.
“Serie A is not easy, I am lucky, but I think it’s a challenge for everyone in football in Italy to be more transparent and open.
“I tell a lot of my contacts in Italian football that if we do another Calciopoli, it will be the death of Serie A. We wouldn’t be number two, three or four, we’d be number nine.”
Calciopoli was the scandal in 2006 that saw Juventus demoted to Serie B, while other clubs such as Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were also penalised.
They were charged with trying to influence the choice of referees for particular games, but match-fixing or sporting fraud was never proved.
Thohir also told BBC World Football that the Champions League should be expanded because “the competition needs the big clubs.”
This follows on from ex-Milan director Umberto Gandini’s assertion that UEFA should introduce ‘wild cards’ to ensure the biggest clubs qualify every year.