Italian Serie A On The Verge Of Bankruptcy

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JAKARTA - Italy's Serie A is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs more financial support from the government during the pandemic and stadiums are filled to greater capacities, Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Marotta stated "Serie A and the Italian football league, in general, are in danger of going bankrupt. The government and political institutions can no longer ignore this."

"This is a system on the brink that without a doubt had problems before the onset of COVID but has barely received support in the past two years during the pandemic," he continued, quoted from Antara, Thursday.

Earlier this month Serie A clubs unanimously agreed to cut stadium capacity to 5,000 for two rounds of matches to stem COVID-19 cases, but Marotta urged all stakeholders to allow even more spectators into stadiums.

Italy, once the worst-hit region by COVID-19, suspended leagues as soon as the outbreak reached the country in early 2020 and slashed stadium capacity to 50 percent since lifting COVID-19 restrictions.

Moratta thinks now is the time for Italy to allow stadiums to be filled with more spectators because strict health protocols make the pandemic under control.

"If France is prepared to welcome 100 percent of stadium crowds as has happened in England, does it make sense for us to continue to keep the numbers smaller?" asked Moratta.

The former Juventus CEO added that the football industry does not get as much financial assistance as other industries because it is not taken seriously by the Italian government.

"Football is still seen as the world of 'rich and stupid' presidents wasting money for fun," he said. "Our world struggles to be acknowledged for what it is, but how can you ignore the fact that professional football is an industry like any other?"