Gravina and the ‘poison’ resignation: “I’m leaving, football’s problems remain”

Gravina’s report

“The day following the failure of the Italian national team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the VII Commission on Culture, Science and Education of the Chamber of Deputies requested, and promptly obtained, my availability for a hearing on the state of health of Italian football. A discussion hoped for and shared, at least in the few hours in which it remained on the agenda, both by the majority and minority parliamentary forces. Because, unfortunately, it was canceled the following day, a few moments after I resigned from the position of president of the FIGC, as if the problems of the football movement were consequently resolved. For those who should object to the fact that with my resignation the undersigned is no longer in office, to avoid any misunderstanding, it is worth underlining that the federal statute provides that I will remain in office for the ordinary administration until 22 June, the date on which the Extraordinary Elective Assembly has already been called”, says Gravina, who will however remain in office for the ordinary administration until the federal vote.

In the document, Gravina underlines how the critical issues of Italian football are “structural” and have been consolidated for years, with constantly worsening indicators. “In the vast majority of cases – he states – the impossibility of intervening effectively, due to internal and external factors, has taken over”. The former FIGC president also highlights how the institutional discussion, initially shared in Parliament, was then canceled following his resignation, despite his willingness to continue the debate. “The Italian Serie A continues to be one of the ‘oldest’ leagues in Europe with an average age of the players on the field of 27 years, the eighth oldest tournament in Europe, worse than England, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, etc.”, he underlines.

“In the ranking of the top 50 youth sectors in the world for ten-year revenues from the sale of ‘home-trained’ footballers there are only two Italian ones (Atalanta and Juventus), while Inter is 53rd. It is probably no coincidence that these are three of the four Italian clubs with ‘second teams’, the introduction of which has also been opposed for a long time in our system”, he states, reeling off data.

“In the current Serie A championship, players not selectable for the Italian national team have played 67.9% of the total minutes. It is the sixth worst figure in Europe: in Spain the use of foreigners accounts for 39.6% of the minutes, in France for 48.3% – we read in the report -. On the thirty-first matchday of the Serie A championship this season, of the 284 players who played on average at least 30 minutes per match, only 89 – of of which 10 goalkeepers – are Italian. Italy is last, after (in order) France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, England and Germany, for total revenues generated in the last decade from international transfers of players trained in the country”.

The outgoing president states that there is “no ‘system’ collaboration for the clogged calendar, which also takes into account the needs of the national team, given that the management of the championship calendar is an exclusive prerogative of the League concerned, without the Federation having any power to intervene”.

Interventions to relaunch Italian football

The report proposes a series of interventions to relaunch Italian football after its failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Among the measures indicated is the allocation of a portion of betting revenue to the football system for investments in nurseries and infrastructure. A tax credit is also provided to support youth sectors and sports facilities. It is also proposed to restore tax breaks for foreign professionals to make Serie A more competitive. Finally, Gravina underlines the need for structural interventions to bridge the gap with other European championships.