A disgrace ofAtalanta at the Rome. In many, especially the socialthus commented on the 3-0 defeat by Gasperini’s team against Torino on the 38th matchday of the Serie A championship. With this result, the Nerazzurri, already certain of participating in the next Champions League after winning the Europa League, overtake the Bologna in fourth place. A placement which, by virtue of UEFA rules, precludes the Giallorossi – arithmetically sixth – from the doors of the top continental competition, in which De Rossi’s team would have participated if Atalanta had finished fifth.
Nothing but rudeness, 5-6 million euros are at stake. Regardless of the banal (but it should be the first) consideration linked to the regularity of the championship – the Torino result was of interest to Napoli for ninth place, potentially “good” for the Conference – the desire for Goddess winning can also be explained with much more prosaic reasons. It’s money, and not even very little.
A first difference is made by the proceeds deriving from Serie A television rights, a percentage of which is assigned based on the final placement in the standings, both in terms of placing and points won. Last year, to be clear, fifth-placed Atalanta grossed 11.6 million euros while fourth-placed Milan 13.4 and third-placed Inter 15.6 million. Considering that the Goddesscalled on 2 June to recover the match against Fiorentina, could finish in third place, this explains a first and substantial difference, which goes from 2 to 4 million, net of the new distribution desired by the Abodi decree which will give greater weight to commitment of young people from under 18 to under 21.
The rest is made by UEFA revenues which do not depend on the results of the individual teams, but are to be shared between the clubs of the various participating championships. What was once called market pool and which today, with a different mechanism, has fallen within the “value” pillar. The 36 teams participating in the new Champions League will be ordered based on the ten-year ranking, and on the basis of this ranking the sum will be divided into 666 shares, each worth approximately 300 thousand euros. Considering that Roma would have been ahead of Atalanta, while Benfica – which benefits from the Giallorossi’s failure to qualify – there is a further difference behind which the specialized portal Football & Finance valued at around one million euros.
In essence, in fact, a difference of 5-6 million euros, most of which derives from the placement in Serie A (4 million in the case of third place). Without considering that the participation of six teams from the Italian championship would have lowered the “value” for the purposes of the ranking of the results obtained, making it more unlikely to replicate a season like the one currently closing, in which Italy achieved thanks to the ranking the fifth additional slot.
To conclude, another aspect that is not exactly secondary: patriotism aside, Atalanta and Roma have been competing for the same objectives in the championship for years. Qualifying for the Champions League guarantees those who participate at least 40-50 million euros, which can only increase. Who would have done a favor to a direct competitor, out of pure love of country?
