Gravina publishes report on Italian football’s crisis and how to fix it despite resignation
President Gabriele Gravina has published a report on the state of Italian football, along with a number of proposals to address the crisis, despite his recent resignation as FIGC President.
Gravina resigned as the FIGC President last week in the wake of Italy’s World Cup play-off exit.
Italy did win the 2020 Euros with Gravina at the helm of the football federation, but also failed to qualify for the World Cup on two occasions.
Gravina has already announced his resignation, but will remain in charge for ordinary administration until his successor is elected on June 22.
On Wednesday, Gravina posted a report he was supposed to present at the Italian parliament last week, but his hearing was cancelled following his resignation.
Gravina shared the document “with the hope that it may stimulate reflection and deeper analysis, including among those who, in recent days, have added their opinions to the already crowded group of those who believe they have the solution in their pocket.
“The critical issues of Italian football have been known for years and highlighted in numerous official documents, differing only in the statistical data that continue to worsen, confirming that these are largely structural deficiencies,” continued the outgoing FIGC President.
“If we truly want what is best for Italian football as a whole sporting movement, it is necessary to clarify the actual responsibilities of the Federation, the Leagues and public institutions. Too many inaccuracies, and at times outright falsehoods, fuel the search for the culprit, but above all, spread misconceptions.
“In my view, it is no coincidence that in areas of direct and exclusive federal responsibility (social and environmental sustainability, youth and school projects, development and training programs for national youth teams, to name a few), significant results have been achieved.
“Unlike in areas where the interests of the various stakeholders, and their respective autonomies, overlap to such an extent that they effectively paralyse the system.”
The actual report began with a list of well-known issues affecting Serie A and Italian football, including the number of players eligible for selection to the national team, the average age of Serie A players and the high percentage of foreign players in Italy’s top flight.
Gravina highlighted the lack of investment in youth sectors and that “Italy ranks 49th out of 50 leagues monitored for the percentage of minutes played by U21 players eligible for the national team, at just 1.9%.”
The document reinforced that “Serie A is not among the top 10 leagues for meters covered in a sprint” and that “the average ball speed (7.6 m/s) is much lower than the Champions League average (10.4) and that of other major European leagues (9.2).”
Gravina insisted that it is “impossible” to impose a minimum number of Italian players in Serie A as it would “violate principles of free movement of workers, which applies to football as a professional sport.”
Gravina’s proposals to fix Italian football
He also highlighted that a tight fixture list has made it impossible to find a training window for the Italy national team outside the usual international breaks and complained about the lack of financial help from the Government.
Gravina said Italian football did not receive financial allocations, not even for the 2032 Euros, while other events organised in the country, such as the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the America’s Cup in Naples, and the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, “received multi-billion funding.”
Lastly, he reiterated his proposals, which he had previously tried to implement, regarding a percentage of betting revenues to be allocated to football, in order to develop youth players and infrastructures, a tax credit, and the reintroduction of a “preferential tax regime” for professionals coming from abroad, practically the famous Growth Decree.
Gravina also insisted that the ban on advertising and sponsorships by betting operators be lifted, and that supportive measures be taken to build new stadiums or renovate existing ones.
The FIGC President stressed that a technical redevelopment of Italian football at the youth level has already started under Maurizio Viscidi, focusing more on technique than on tactics.
Lastly, he insisted that it is necessary to reshape Serie A, B, C, and D and to launch a reform project for the refereeing sector.
“Without this strong and unanimous willingness to prioritise the common good over the defence of individual positions, and with politics creating the conditions and enabling the necessary tools for action, no single individual can achieve a true and complete revival of Italian football,” Gravina concluded.