Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia responds to Cairo: Clubs only generate debt
Paolo Marcheschi, a senator for the Brothers of Italy, responded to comments made by Urbano Cairo, the president of Torino, regarding the abolition of the Growth Decree in a press release.
These remarks follow Cairo accusing the government of wanting to ‘make football fail’. Marcheschi has dismissed these claims, stating, “It is clear that this is not the case, and I believe that Cairo wanted to use forceful language to highlight a concern that runs through the football system in Italy. However, one might naturally ask, why if the world of football claims its autonomy – to the point of not accepting any criticism – then, when it is in difficulty, it turns its complaints towards the government?”
Marcheschi underscored that ‘important’ football has received favourable measures, unlike other productive sectors. This shows a degree of sensitivity towards a sector that generates income for the state and matters to millions of fans. He further conveyed in his statement that the decision taken by the Meloni government to suspend the benefits provided for football teams for the purchase of foreign players is legitimate, moral and right.
The senator then questioned the financial state of top football. “How is it possible that in a sector where large interests and significant resources are at stake, Serie A teams only generate debts and not profits?” Marcheschi asked. He suggested that pointing fingers at the government is merely an excuse, and in reality, the clubs have failed to take full advantage of the rules approved over the years by an overly permissive policy.
“Times no longer allow for the wastefulness of resources, and the Meloni Government has demonstrated that it is possible to manage the economy better by spending wisely, in sectors that can then sustain themselves independently,” Marcheschi added.
The senator ended his statement by expressing hope that football’s autonomy could find solutions to reverse the economic and sporting decline in this sector. He added that this could be an opportunity to undertake a broader review, which will certainly be carried out by Minister Abodi. He also alluded to the engagement of football presidents in the meeting called by Gravina in Figc, highlighting their awareness and hopefully the determination for a real reform.