Italian government considers rule change that could hurt Juventus and Italian football | OneFootball

A number of football executives believe the Italian government does not care about football in the country, and it is not doing enough to prove them wrong.

The industry has benefited from the current Growth Decree, which helps football clubs to save 50% in taxes from the salaries of foreign players.

However, the Italian government is now thinking about excluding the sport from it. To Inter Milan director Beppe Marotta, that further shows they care very little about the sport.

The rule makes it more advantageous to buy foreign players, and it is one reason several countries are represented in the Italian top-flight now.

Football Italia reports that the Italian government is now debating on some changes to the rule which would exclude football, but Marotta slams the decision as discriminatory.

“A specific amendment that only penalises the industry of professional sport is not only myopic and counter-productive, but it is also extremely discriminatory and confirms our sector is considered only residual in this country,” Inter director Marotta told news agency ANSA as quoted by the same report.

“The Growth Decree is a fundamental law to support economic development in this country for all professionals who come from abroad. Football represents the 13th biggest industry in the country and in the last 13 years football has pumped over €14m in taxes into the Government coffers and has circa 7,700 employees.

“The rule also applies to other professional sporting figures, for example basketball players and coaches, so it wouldn’t even be fair to say this is purely about football.”

Juve FC Says

This truly shows that the Italian government underrates football as a major contributor to the economy.

Italian teams have been performing well in European competitions recently and that is partly down to the talents being brought into the country from abroad.

It makes Serie A one of the strongest in the world, but this change might make it harder for Italian clubs to compete with the rest of the continent and that includes Juventus..