Juventus President Andrea Agnelli urged Italian football reform including B Teams and new security measures.
The patron wrote an open letter to the shareholders, reflecting the recent statement on their financial stability.
“Juventus’ clear progress in running the club has not, however, sufficed to prompt profound, definitive reflection on the national level as to the future of Italian football,” wrote Agnelli.
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli urged Italian football reform including B Teams and new security measures.
The patron wrote an open letter to the shareholders, reflecting the recent statement on their financial stability.
“Juventus’ clear progress in running the club has not, however, sufficed to prompt profound, definitive reflection on the national level as to the future of Italian football,” wrote Agnelli.
“On several sides, important figures in the world of football are calling for the game in this country to be considered a fully-fledged industry which contributes to the country both via its tax revenue and its 'supply chain'.
“Yet sadly, Italian football has not found the human resources able to put it back at the centre of political debate. In our game, individuals who are neither important figures nor financers enjoy excessive power. It is an environment which has deceitfully 'generated' the consensus of a self-referential system.
“In the meantime, for the fifth time in six years, Italian teams that qualified for the preliminary rounds of the Champions League failed to reach the competition proper, and Italian clubs, despite finding themselves in a fairly healthy market position, have not been able to grow at the same pace as their European competitors.
“In the five-year period 2009-2014, revenue in English football grew by 61%, 46% in Germany, 32% in Spain, 42% in France, 86% in Russia and 62% in Turkey. Revenue in Italy for the same period grew by just 14%.
“The hope is that the next Olympic Games, at the end of 2016, can accelerate reforms to the structure of Italian football and foster the natural change in personnel, competencies and the way the game is run.
“This is a process the league bodies, footballers and coaches have to grasp in order to avoid spending a further five years, between now and 2020, listing what should be done but that no one does.
“Football has to go back to the heart of this world and, in the short term, in order to improve the product we offer supporters, it would be wise to tackle the following issues:
“1. For too long the idea of creating B teams has been rejected, while other countries have guaranteed their young players steady development. Serie A needs to have the strength to bridge the generational gap between the Primavera championship (Under-19) and potentially joining the first team, which typically occurs between 22 and 23 years old.
“2. Reforming the league system is imperative and must be accompanied by significant reflection on the issue of mutuality. Relegated teams must be protected so as to avoid jeopardising, as is currently the case, the business’s continuity. It is patently clear that cases such as Parma, who went bankrupt during the league season, or the continued problems many clubs are encountering in obtaining UEFA licences, undermine the credibility of the system as a whole, making it less attractive for potential new investors, who we need, provided they present clear, long-term development plans.
“3. The situation regarding stadia, save rare and noteworthy exceptions, is unchanged. Not only has the planning of new infrastructure stalled, existing facilities have even been granted waivers from current legislation.
“The introduction of Goal Line Technology – a positive move – entailed costs that all the clubs could bear without any problems. Sadly, the same cannot be said of investment in safety and the latest technology in video surveillance which, with much lower costs, would greatly assist the work of the authorities in identifying the individuals behind the offences and would clearly reduce so-called ‘objective responsibility’, which after the recent events of April’s derby at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, I would jokingly dub ‘inherent responsibility’.
“Individual responsibility has now become of secondary importance and Italian football appears to have succumbed to this aberration.”