The new president of the Ezio Simonelli Serie A League: “If UEFA authorizes us, we could make Inter and Milan play in the States, taking advantage of the fact that the stadium must be prepared for the inauguration of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics” ”
Four months of work and an infinite number of problems to be solved. Ezio Simonelli, president of the Soccer Lega Serie A for four months has told his ideas on football in a podcast at Panorama: on the table there are the television rights that the League tries to increase, the problem of old stadiums and to be redone, the growth decree that helped the clubs and after the abolition created problems and the nurseries on which Simonelli asks the companies to invest more.
President Simonelli, what Lega found?
I found a very efficient league, a great team of professionals, all aspects of a company that organizes a show. I have focused more on the harmony of the Lega of the twenty companies and I think I have succeeded, at least I am satisfied, even if the judgment is not up to me.
Many companies ask that the growth decree be restored, which in fact helped the clubs for the payment of important engagements
From the point of view of the growth decree there will be no news, the growth decree has helped Italian football a lot. It was a great tax benefit for companies, this made it possible to bring many important players to Italy, so Atalanta won the Europa League and Inter went to the final. The standard is finished, I don’t know if it will be proposed again. We hope that the government will help in some way and society.
Instead on the digital game?
There is the awareness that having inhibited the advertising of the legal game has promoted the illegal one. A legislation that penalizes only the Italian teams, given that this is not the case abroad. I am for the free market. The effects were negative, I hope it is soon canceled.
Ceferin has struck down Italian plant engineering
I share what Ceferin said on the stadiums and as an Italian I was ashamed. The bureaucracy and the lack of vision of a part of politics led to make only 5 stadiums in Italy while in Europe they made 213. From the project to the process passes too long. Minister Abadi will soon appoint a commissioner to facilitate the construction of the new stadiums and this will streamline the process. This will allow us to have new structures or renew them.
Will the new San Siro be done?
I am also confident because there is a commitment of the municipal administration and I think it is essential that Inter and Milan have an adequate house such as Bernabeu or other stages that are at a planetary distance. It seems to me that there is also the will of the properties of Inter and Milan to carry on the project.
Among the points you care about most are investments in nurseries.
The road is that investments must be made on nurseries how companies invest in research and development. I hope there are incentives to be able to encourage investments in nurseries, this is the only way to restore life to clubs and create new talents for our national team that has been suffering for too long from this point of view.
How do you grow revenues from TV rights?
We are quite satisfied with how much we sell the rights in Italy, much less than what we make for foreign countries. I have also been to the United States to illustrate our project, of course, in order to sell the rights well you have to have the stars of football. When we had them it was easier to sell television rights. If Inter managed to win the Champions League would make a nice leap forward to the appetability of our Serie A even if we know that it is impossible to reach the figures of the Premier League.
Is there the possibility that Serie A matches are played in the United States?
There are formal steps to overcome how to ask for authorization from UEFA, but we would like to do it. Then we have an opportunity to exploit, San Siro will be closed for a month because it will have to be prepared for the inauguration of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics. From 10 January to 8 February the plant will not be available for Inter and Milan matches. It could be an opportunity to make Inter and Milan play abroad.
