Lega Serie A chief Lorenzo Casini maintains the future of Italian football is represented by Inter and Milan’s approach. ‘A hybrid model of foreign owners relying on Italian directors.’
With the promotion of Como, Parma and Venezia, another three clubs will be in the top flight next season with owners who hail from overseas, in this case two American and one from Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Inter have been taken over by American fund Oaktree after Suning and the Zhang family failed to repay the high-interest loan fee of almost €385m.
However, it has made little difference because they kept the directorial team intact, including Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio.
“Foreign ownership in Italian football is a phenomenon that is growing in recent years,” said Lega CEO Casini during the Festival della Serie A in Parma.
“Variety and diversity are precious and bring advantages to Serie A. The foreign owners are then relying on Italian directors, which creates a hybrid model that brings success.”
Inter new Serie A ownership model
Serie A has been boosted in recent years on the field too, earning a fifth place in the Champions League, winning the Europa League with Atalanta and reaching the Conference League Final for a second year running with Fiorentina.
“We hope that Italian teams can continue to do well in Europe, because winning trophies gives an immediate boost to the visibility of the league abroad.”
Here’s a novel idea for Mr. Casini: How about capping the # of non-Italian players for each club!