Inter CEO Beppe Marotta: “Italian Football Is At Risk Of Financial Default, No Government Support” | OneFootball

Icon: SempreInter.Com

SempreInter.Com

·26 January 2022

Inter CEO Beppe Marotta: “Italian Football Is At Risk Of Financial Default, No Government Support”

Article image:Inter CEO Beppe Marotta: “Italian Football Is At Risk Of Financial Default, No Government Support”

Inter CEO Beppe Marotta feels that Italian football is close to financial collapse, and that reforms must take place to right the ship.

Speaking to Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore in an interview published in today’s print edition, the executive emphasized that the Italian government has not done enough to support football in his view, especially during the pandemic.


OneFootball Videos


Football finances have had difficulties across the world since the beginning of the pandemic, with the loss of stadium revenues being a major hit to many clubs which already had fairly precarious economic models.

As Marotta stresses, the money that goes into transfer fees and player wages as well as other expenses is not sustainable for clubs given the levels which their revenues are at, even from a pre-pandemic standpoint.

He stated that “Serie A and Italian football in general are at risk of default. The government and political institutions can no longer ignore this issue.”

“It’s a system on the brink,” he warned, “which certainly had imbalances to it even before COVID, but which has received practically nothing in the past two years of the pandemic.”

“The margins for what we can do have been reduced as far as they can be,” the executive explained about COVID sacrifices.

He elaborated that “The health of the fans is important to us above all else. FFP2 masks, super green passes, and capacity reduced to 50%, outdoor facilities are safe spaces.”

“Having had to reduce admissions to five thousand spectators was another show of the seriousness of the situation, and a further sacrifice for us,” he added.

“For this reason we would have expected to have been given more consideration in recent measures by the government in law, such as the budget and the decree of economic restoration.”

Marotta explained how the reputation about football clubs is not in line with the reality of day-to-day operations, stating that “Football is still thought of as being the domain of ‘rich fool’ Presidents who throw money away.”

“Our world is struggling to be recognized for what it is,” he continued, “but how can it be ignored that professional football is a serious economic sector like any other?”

He emphasized that “Football had pre-pandemic turnover of almost €4 billion, and pays €1.2 million in taxes to the authorities every year.”

The Nerazzurri CEO’s suggestion is to “Create a more sustainable model by reducing salaries. Footballers and unions cannot hide behind the princely contracts signed in the pre-COVID era.”

“But at the same time we must be wary of making excessive cuts,” he went on. “We cannot afford to lose ground to foreign leagues or risk becoming uncompetitive.”

“It would be a vicious circle,” he warned. “If anything, we need to increase revenues.”

Marotta also spoke about the impact of gambling sponsorships being outlawed in Italy, stating that “Over 100 million contracts vanished.”

“While abroad and within UEFA competitions we play against clubs sponsored by companies in that sector which, moreover, generate over €10 million worth of betting every year.”

“Why not find ways to claim in our favour some of this massive turnover?” the executive pondered.

View publisher imprint