Adriano Galliani has shared some of his thoughts regarding the decline of Italian football, also aiming a jab at Inter over Calciopoli.
While talk continues to swirl about a possible return to Milan ahead of next season, Galliani still very much keeps on top of matters connected to Serie A, the field where he has spent almost all of his professional life.
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Indeed, the man nicknamed ‘Il Condor’ is no stranger to winning, having overseen an era under Silvio Berlusconi in which the Rossoneri scooped 29 trophies in 31 years. The days of being able to win the Champions League seem a long way away though, given the decline of calcio.
Galliani was also among the guests attending a European Golden Boy event and he spoke to reporters about a number of topics, with his comments via Calciomercato.com.
Why don’t Italian clubs win any more?
“Those who have won the Champions League in recent years all have double the turnover of the big Italian clubs. Real Madrid has a turnover of 1.2 billion, while the Italian clubs that do better have 400-450 million with capital gains.
“Why did we win before and not anymore? Because we had the best players. The last to win the Ballon d’Or playing in Italy was Kaka in 2007. It’s difficult to sell the rights abroad for various reasons.
“England has no problem because they speak English. La Liga is sold in Spanish-speaking countries, while Italian is spoken in the Canton of Ticino and that’s it.”
Are new stadiums needed?
“To increase revenues, you need stadiums first and foremost. A beautiful facility also helps sell TV rights, because with ugly and half-empty stadiums, foreigners aren’t interested. Once upon a time, we were a league of arrivals, now we’re a league of transition.”
On Calciopoli, with Capello on stage alongside Galliani…
“Capello had also won two Scudetti on the pitch with Juventus. The only case in the world where the third-placed team becomes the first. In heaven, the last become the first, on earth, the third-placed team became the first.”
