The best League in Europe? Giancarlo Rinaldi warns that Serie A is now coming under pressure from Germany.
The alarm bells should be ringing out around Serie A this season if recent financial reports are to be believed. Everybody knew that Italian football was a long way behind the English Premiership in terms of monetary clout. But now it appears the German Bundesliga might be about to overtake it too.
At first, this seemed impossible to believe. With the best will in the world, our Teutonic cousins hardly boast a League full of big name teams. Their impact in European competitions in recent times has been far from impressive and – apart from Bayern Munich – they rarely attract global superstars to their ranks.
However, if you scratch the surface, you start to see that maybe Luca Toni, Andrea Barzagli and others spotted something that the rest of us had missed. It may not have the media profile of England, Italy or Spain but the Bundesliga does have one special quality – the fans love it and are prepared to pour into their stadiums to prove it.
Compare the atmosphere at a game in Frankfurt, Bremen or wherever with the wide swathes of empty seats at many Serie A matches and you’ll catch my drift. Average Italian attendances are about half their Bundesliga equivalent. If German sides do well in Europe this year, it is likely their overall League revenue will surpass Italy. They are already streets ahead in terms of profit margins.
The lesson here is that Serie A needs to go back to basics. All the tinkering with kick-off times to suit television, lack of investment in stadia and supporter misbehaviour has taken a heavy toll. Somewhere along the way, everyone lost sight of the importance of the fan who pays his or her money and comes through the turnstiles every weekend.
It’s not too late, however, for an Italian revival. There are signs this season could be a highly competitive one rather than a turn-off stroll for any one side. In addition, some clubs seem to be making a genuine effort to make their grounds more attractive to the ordinary supporter once again.
I have always firmly believed there is nothing better than a Sunday afternoon in a sun-soaked football ground somewhere in Italy. It just takes a bit of time and effort to rekindle everyone’s passion once again.
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/gr10.html
_____________________________________________
Suck it!
The alarm bells should be ringing out around Serie A this season if recent financial reports are to be believed. Everybody knew that Italian football was a long way behind the English Premiership in terms of monetary clout. But now it appears the German Bundesliga might be about to overtake it too.
At first, this seemed impossible to believe. With the best will in the world, our Teutonic cousins hardly boast a League full of big name teams. Their impact in European competitions in recent times has been far from impressive and – apart from Bayern Munich – they rarely attract global superstars to their ranks.
However, if you scratch the surface, you start to see that maybe Luca Toni, Andrea Barzagli and others spotted something that the rest of us had missed. It may not have the media profile of England, Italy or Spain but the Bundesliga does have one special quality – the fans love it and are prepared to pour into their stadiums to prove it.
Compare the atmosphere at a game in Frankfurt, Bremen or wherever with the wide swathes of empty seats at many Serie A matches and you’ll catch my drift. Average Italian attendances are about half their Bundesliga equivalent. If German sides do well in Europe this year, it is likely their overall League revenue will surpass Italy. They are already streets ahead in terms of profit margins.
The lesson here is that Serie A needs to go back to basics. All the tinkering with kick-off times to suit television, lack of investment in stadia and supporter misbehaviour has taken a heavy toll. Somewhere along the way, everyone lost sight of the importance of the fan who pays his or her money and comes through the turnstiles every weekend.
It’s not too late, however, for an Italian revival. There are signs this season could be a highly competitive one rather than a turn-off stroll for any one side. In addition, some clubs seem to be making a genuine effort to make their grounds more attractive to the ordinary supporter once again.
I have always firmly believed there is nothing better than a Sunday afternoon in a sun-soaked football ground somewhere in Italy. It just takes a bit of time and effort to rekindle everyone’s passion once again.
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/blogs/gr10.html
_____________________________________________
Suck it!
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