At one time Serie A was seen as the embodiment of all that was stylish in European football. But now the Italian competition is perceived to have slipped behind those in England and Spain in terms of its financial success and the regard in which it is held by fans. There have been a number of reasons for this, including allegations that the game in Italy is not always fair and square. Once that suspicion is implanted in the minds of fans, they tend to stay away from matches and watch them less on television.
At one time Serie A was seen as the embodiment of all that was stylish in European football. But now the Italian competition is perceived to have slipped behind those in England and Spain in terms of its financial success and the regard in which it is held by fans. There have been a number of reasons for this, including allegations that the game in Italy is not always fair and square. Once that suspicion is implanted in the minds of fans, they tend to stay away from matches and watch them less on television.
However, there is a deeper structural problem in Italian football: it simply doesn’t make as much from television revenues as its leading competitors. Now a court case brought by a small company threatens to disrupt the start of the next season with the possibility of even greater financial losses. Even if this court case is sorted out, the underlying challenges remain. Once you have fallen behind, it is difficult to catch up.