|
Gabriele Gravina's hearing before the Chamber of Deputies' Culture, Science, and Education Commission had been scheduled for today, but it was cancelled due to the resignation of the FIGC's former president. Gravina has, however, decided to make public the report he created for the occasion, an articulated document in which he attempts to photograph the state of health of Italian soccer and highlight the most pressing issues. Gravina explains in the text, which is available in its entirety on the Federation's website, that he chose to release the dossier to avoid evading discussion and to contribute to reflection on problems that, in his view, have persisted for years without effective intervention. According to the former federal number one, the system's limits are determined not just by the FIGC, but also by regulatory restraints, governance structures, and League autonomous margins, which have resulted in many reforms being blocked or slowed. Among the reasons raised is the diminished representation of young people and Italians in Serie A, which has a direct impact on the national team's pool of players. Gravina points out that the Italian league is still one of the "oldest" in Europe, and that a large proportion of minutes are played by players who are not eligible for Italy. According to the text, there has also been a delay in the development of talent and investments in youth teams, despite the positive achievements obtained by youth national teams. The analysis then delves into other structural issues, such as the decline in technical quality and intensity of the game, the economic fragility of the clubs, the excessive number of professional clubs, and the system's infrastructural delay, particularly in stadiums. Gravina also mentions the increasing burden of costs, debt, and commissions on agents in a framework that continues to exhibit indicators of severe financial imbalance. In the report's conclusion, the former FIGC president reiterates some proposals made in recent years, including allocating a portion of betting revenues to soccer, tax breaks for young people and facilities, measures to support women's soccer, championship reform, and technical revival of the youth sector. The conclusion is a request for structural and shared intervention by the Federation, Leagues, clubs, and institutions, because, according to Gravina, "no single individual can determine the true and complete relaunch of the Italian soccer movement" unless there is a common will for reform.
|