Is Italian football in economic crisis?
Franco Carraro:Football in Italy is a sporting activity with huge social and economic implications. For that reason, it is currently going through all the same difficulties and problems of the country at large, of the Italian economy. Yet I would like to make a few points. Italian football organises 710,000 professional and amateur games per annum. These games all begin punctually and in 99.9 per cent of cases all end punctually. Football, despite all its problems, is still the best organised, most punctual activity there is in Italy. It is true, though, that Italian football has its problems. The clubs spend far too much, but it is worth pointing out that the 132 clubs of Serie A, B, C1 and C2 this year had to come up with 725million [£500m] before they could enrol in this season’s leagues. The clubs came up with that money, but what the federation cannot do is dictate to the clubs how they spend their money, because they are commercial entities protected by law. It is also true that
