ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Juve-Inter was a very good spectacle, both for the compelling match and for the atmosphere at the Stadium. It’s a bit of a benchmark on which all Serie A should approach because of the stadium setting. Lazio-Napoli was also a high-level match, confirming that ours is a good league, very hard-fought, with three teams playing for the Scudetto. Our league is highly viewed: we have reached an average of 31,000 spectators per game, the highest average in the last ten years, despite the fact that we don’t exactly have the most adequate stadiums, they are not all Juventus Stadium unfortunately.” Thus Ezio Maria Simonelli, president of the Lega di Serie A, host of ‘Radio Anch’io Sport’ on Rai Radio, on Juve-inter last night, a big-match that saw the success of Motta’s Bianconeri. “How much conflict did I find among the 20 Serie A teams? I can say that the conflict has been largely overcome,” the number one of the A clubs continued, “We have found a unity that has not been there in the league for a long time, I am finding a very positive environment. I hope it is prodromal to a period of serenity for Italian soccer. The first problem to be solved? I would cite that of stadiums, we must succeed before anything else in solving it. Minister Abodi thinks as I do, there is a need to have a single commissioner to streamline the work and procedures. I hope that by the end of February the commissioner for stadiums can be appointed, it would be useful to freshen up the landscape. We have stadiums that have an average age of 66 years. And 66 years ago soccer was very different than it is today, spectators have other needs. This is the first point we have to work on to give the fans a comfortable environment.” About the clogging of the calendar, “It’s the real problem in soccer for teams, for coaches, for players. It’s something that doesn’t depend on the Italian Football League, though. We cannot do anything to reduce the number of matches.” Chapter Serie A to 18 teams: “I always leave sovereignty to the Assembly to decide on certain issues. Some president, provocatively, would like to have an eight-team league. An 18-team league would mean four fewer games, however, it would also mean a less compelling league, less representative of all of Italy. Changing the format at the moment does not seem feasible to me anytime soon. Other leagues like Spain and England also have 20 teams.” Var protocol change: “First of all, I think the judgment on Var can only be positive. All technologies that manage to improve transparency are welcome in the world of soccer. Like all technologies they need to be adapted with the thinking of the world. We are realizing that in some cases Var does not work well: in the episode of Tomori’s sending off in Empoli-Milan there was a bug in the Var system. But this does not depend on us, it depends on Ifab and its protocol. I know there will be a meeting on March 1 to review the Var protocols. I hope that, like every year, the experience and the mistakes that happen on the field are then prodromal to improve things.” Simonelli, then, says he is in favor of call-in Var: “As a tennis fan, being able to call in case of doubt would be a positive development in my opinion. It would also give responsibility to the teams. I am in favor of it. We haven’t had a chance to discuss this issue in the assembly, but I think many presidents and coaches feel the same way.” A return to the Italian Super Cup in a single match would lighten the calendar and Bologna-Milan would have already been recovered: “Yes, this is true,” the League president further explained, “but it is also true that one of the goals of the Lega Calcio is to spread Italian soccer abroad, which has been a bit tarnished lately. These finals played abroad are meant to increase the fanbase and visibility of our soccer and to increase revenues.” Simonelli anticipates the dates for the start of next season: “I can anticipate that, at 99%, the next championship will start on the weekend of August 23-24. We want to avoid soccer in Ferragosto.” Serie A spends too much compared to what it collects and the comparison with the English Premier League: “The Premier is unattainable: it bills over 4 billion euros a year, we are between 1.2 and 1.3 billion. In soccer there is no mathematical formula, however, almost always the one who cashes in and earns the most wins. In this we have a lot of difficulties. We were helped a lot by government measures, such as the Growth Decree, which is no longer there today. Without those tax benefits, we are slowly losing competitiveness. I hope,” Simonelli concluded, “that the government will become aware of this and find mechanisms that will allow us to attract champions. – Photo Image -(ITALPRESS).
