Juventus director Francesco Calvo suggested it was ‘essential’ to reduce the number of teams competing in Serie A and tried to explain the ‘Italian football crisis’.
The Bianconeri find themselves in an interesting spot heading into the summer break, having cut ties with Massimiliano Allegri three years after his return. The club are widely expected to appoint Bologna’s Thiago Motta as their new head coach, ready for a new project in Turin.
Juventus are now gearing up for an important summer transfer window ahead of their return to the Champions League, and they’ll also be competing in the revamped Club World Cup next season, setting up a tough schedule for the new head coach.
Calvo on Serie A, Juventus growth and Italian football crisis
Speaking via Calcio e Finanza, Calvo first explained why it would benefit Serie A to reduce the number of competing teams.
“For us, it’s essential that there’s a change in the format of the league with a reduction in professional teams which could, combined with a reform of the players’ contracts by introducing more flexibility, review the very concept of mutuality which supports all the lower divisions.
“In the last six years, Juventus have invested almost €500m in Serie B and Lega Pro, through the purchase of players and development bonuses.”
He compared the growth of Juventus to other top teams around Europe.
“The Italian football crisis starts from afar. In 2003, Juve had a turnover like all the most important clubs in Europe. Around €230-250m.
“20 years later, we have managed to double this figure, but our international rivals have quadrupled it. The main problem is that the Italian rules think it’s just a game and not an industry.”
The Juventus director touched on the impossibly of growth in Serie A following the recent COVID pandemic.
“In light of the country’s struggling economic system, a lack of competition in the television sector, without forgetting the infrastructural issue, imagining a growth of Italian football at the highest levels is difficult.
“The elimination of the Growth Decree and the ban on sponsorship of betting companies are decisions taken outside the football system, but which weigh exclusively on it.
“Just think of how, despite the update of the decree on professional sport, Juventus wanted to organize a concert within our own stadium or economically exploit the installation of solar panels, we couldn’t do so.”
Finally, Calvo looked to understand the beginning of the crisis in Italian football.
“The beginning of the crisis in football started in 1995 with the Bosman law that led to a huge imbalance in the relationship between clubs and players with an exponential increase in costs. We feel penalised.
“The Melandri Law on TV rights actually led to a halt in the growth of Italian football, and this is no accident. TV rights stopped in 2009. Serie A supports the whole system. Italian football is not sustainable, and intervention is needed to make it economically viable and stabilise it.”