Duel between the president of the Football Federation Gabriele Gravinathe president of the Serie A League Lorenzo Casini and Milan’s number one Paolo Scaroni at the “Il Foglio a San Siro” event, the conference dedicated to Italian football organized by the newspaper. «I think talking about authoritarian tendencies is a lack of institutional respectTO”. It is Gravina who opened the controversy after Casini’s statements yesterday during the hearing on the prospects for reforming Italian football in the Culture, Education and Sports Commission of the Senate.
Gravina against Casini and Lotito
«It is notable to note – continues the FIGC president – that a few months ago the Federation was considered static and incapable of making proposals. As soon as we do this, then we talk about authoritarianism. He should not be confused with the exercise of democracy. We have a duty to enforce the regulatory framework.” Gravina who then shifts his focus to Claudio Lotitoand on what he defines as “lotitism”, accusing the Lazio president of having his feet in too many shoes: “We must fully understand how it is possible that in Italy some people can be part of the federal council, of the Lega council, being owners of a football club, also being senators. There are subjects (always referring to Lotito, ed) who think they can manage the world of football as they please”.
The subject of the dispute is the strategic plan of the football system approved by the Football Federation: «The function is clear: to verify the solvency, stability and sustainability of the clubs. And as a Football Federation, in terms of the integrated budget we are among the best in the world”, hoping for immediate sporting successes that can favor the process of reconciliation between the parties”.
Casini’s reply
In close proximity, the reply of the president of the Serie A League Lorenzo Casini: «We’re talking about concepts that I wrote 15 years ago and Serie A has repeated many times. There is nothing personal, the Serie A in federal powers is undersized and this leads to consequences. It’s an institutional design issue, it’s not a question of people. If the system is not designed well, there is a risk of authoritarian tendencies.” Casini however claims the attempt “to eliminate the right of veto. If a system allows you to propose that, it means that there is some problem with the balance of power.” And on the feared hypothesis of transform Serie A following the Premier League model, the president of the League explains that «the system as it is now has made it almost inevitable that we move towards greater organizational autonomy. But it is clear that political endorsement is needed, as happened with the Premier”. With the hope of finding peace soon.
Scaroni on Maldini and Galliani
Peace that did not arrive between the president of Milan Paolo Scaroni and the former head of the club’s technical area Paolo Maldini: «I haven’t heard from him again, but when someone looks at his past with a certain amount of acrimony, it means that he isn’t living the present very well (the reference is to an interview from a few months ago with the former captain in which he accused him of not fully serving the club’s interests, ed). I hope this is not the case with Maldini. I wish him a personal life full of satisfaction.” The first stone is removed from the shoe, Scaroni then glosses over the change on the bench for next season (postponing any decision until the end of the championship), he talks about the suffering with which he experienced the Scudetto derby on Monday and he also responds piquedly to Galliani who had defined the topic of reducing Serie A to 18 teams as crude (rejected by the League) promoted by Milan and other clubs: «I will go to lessons savoir-faire from him. I can’t be rude, I’ll have him explain it to me who has done it many times successfully in the past. Going to 18 teams will be a matter of gravity: it will happen because we can no longer continue like this and play so many games. It puts the health of our players at risk and I think we need to intervene. We cannot stand there and suffer competition from FIFA, because the calendars become unsustainable.”
