TURIN, ITALY – MAY 09: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of A.C. Milan reacts during the Serie A match between … [+]
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For a long time, the transnational phenomenon of multi-club ownership in soccer seemed to have spared Italy from the eyes of foreign (and domestic) investors.
However, since 2018, several takeovers have taken place in Italian soccer, with half of the 20 of Italy’s top-flight soccer league Serie A clubs now owned by foreign – mostly North American – investors.
Nevertheless, the trend has also affected domestic businessmen. The most notable case was Claudio Lotito’s ownership of Serie A giants SS Lazio and second-tier Serie B Salernitana.
When in August the latter got promoted to top-flight, the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) forced president Lotito to hastily sell his share in Salernitana, to ensure the integrity and the fairness of the league.
Last September – with an unprecedented move – the FIGC banned multiple ownerships in Italian professional soccer, to avoid similar cases in the future.
I sat down with sports lawyer Cesare Di Cintio to analyze the landscape of multi-club ownership in Italy, the short-term consequence of the ban on investments, the possible repercussions on the academies, and long-term legislative implications on the future of Italian soccer.
Is the ban a positive or negative move for Italian soccer?
Positive and far-sighted. The rule aims at preserving competitive fairness and avoiding wrongdoings, which could harness sports competitions.
ROME, ITALY – APRIL 15: Dan Friedkin president of AS Roma and Ryan Friedkin gestures prior to the … [+]
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