Like every other league in the world, Italian football was heavily impacted by the coronavirus shutdown earlier this year. From Serie A to the lower levels of football in the country, there was a grand impact felt for all involved in the sport.
Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina notes that it was a difficult year for the federation but one that came with plenty of learning lessons. The federation had to navigate through with the suspension of Serie A play along with the heavy losses of revenue, including with the absence of fans in stadiums.
Gravina reflected on the rollercoaster year it was in Italian football, with comments relayed by the Italian-based outlet La Lazio Siamo Noi.
It was a difficult year. Some moments of despair in which it happens to reflect and to think above all by projecting the negative consequences that would derive from cancellation of the championship, especially from the Serie A.
I didn’t save anything. I just played my role with a great conscience with a great sense of responsibility, asking for help from all those who wanted to make a great contribution to protecting the interest of football. I think this was one of the greatest successes we can write today.
This is also an opportunity to thank the Minister of Economy and the Minister of Sport. We know very well that the world of football has lost one of its reference revenues: the box office revenue. Today, football bears costs. There are always increasing costs deriving not only from the rigid application of the protocols but also from the commitments assumed pre-covid, as regards the cost of labor.
Football in Italy is currently at the Christmas break.
