Crisis in Italian football, huge losses and no clear direction | OneFootball

Italian football is going through a deep crisis, and the numbers no longer leave any room for doubt. A report led by Gabriele Gravina lays out a worrying scenario: annual losses of more than 730 million euros and accumulated debt exceeding 5.5 billion. The document, which came to light amid the fallout from Italy’s national team being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, describes a decline that is not new, but has worsened over time.

The report places the beginning of the decline after the 1990 World Cup, when Serie A dominated Europe. Italy was once a global benchmark, with powerful clubs and a league that set the pace, but that model became stagnant compared to the growth of other competitions, especially the English one. Today, the gap is clear: the Premier League far surpasses it in revenue, especially in television rights, one of the key pillars of the modern business.

The problem is not only economic. It is also structural and sporting.

One of the most worrying figures is the makeup of the squads: foreign players account for nearly 68% of the minutes played in Serie A, which limits the development of local footballers. Added to that is the limited presence of young players and the lack of continuity for Italian talent.

At the same time, the youth divisions have lost importance. Academies generate less income from transfers and have less impact than in other European leagues, which deepens the gap in the long term.

Even on the football side, the report notes that the Italian league shows less intensity, less pressing, and less dynamism than other competitions, factors that end up affecting the international performance of its teams.

“The critical problems have been known for years”, warns Gravina, who points directly at the leadership.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.