And the Whining Begins
By: Martha | February 7th, 2007
Among the less politically savvy club bosses, opposition to the government’s planned crackdown on below-par stadiums is on the rise. While high-profile folks like Massimo Moratti and Juve’s Didier Deschamps are heartily endorsing the plans, others are noisily unhappy. Take, for example, Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is essentially threatening to go on strike if the Pisanu rules are enforced. According to De Laurentiis, governmental efforts to regain control over what goes on inside and around stadiums are a “superficial” way of “facing a problem as important and vital for Italy such as football.” Given that his alternative seems to be more of the same, one wonders what exactly he thinks “superficial” means.
Milan’s Adriano Galliani, meanwhile, has told the press it would take €20-22 million to bring the San Siro up to code, and that the work won’t be completed before October. (All that remains is to install turnstiles. Who knew that was such a costly, lengthy process?) Which means, if the regulations are still in place, that the Milan derby in March would be played before only Inter fans, if that. And that, in turn, means both a dismal atmosphere and a massive loss of profits.
Basically, De Laurentiis and Galliani, like many of their compatriots, are thinking about money. Which, on one hand, is understandable. Clubs big and small regularly operate on the edge of bankruptcy, and every Euro is crucially important. On the other hand, these are lives we’re talking about, for the love of God! Suck it up and either find the money to fix your grounds, or prepare to go into the red for the sake of safety.
That said, if the clubs win this battle — the meeting to finalize the new regulations and give the green light to this weekend’s matches is this afternoon — all is pretty much lost. Here’s hoping someone in the government finds some backbone, for once.
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Tags: AC Milan, Aurelio De Laurentiis, Galliani, Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Rumors -amp; News, Serie A, Serie BSubscribe
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