Editorial: The pride of the Italians began to erode

Italian football has come out of obscurity for years. Serie A, which was once the largest league in the world, is now in decline. Pamor and its quality is far worse than the glory hours around the 1990s to the 2000s. In other words, Italian football is still declining.

In recent years, the income of Italian clubs has been very modest. Most can't even make a profit. Losses often occur. The real situation is not new. When the A-series still won, the loss was already suffered. The reason is the race to find the best players and coaches.

However, not a few Italians who survive as club owners even though they often lose. In fact, they realize that big consequences must be borne. Supporters need their players to spend a lot of money so that their team can attract quality players or coaches.

Look at the experience of the former owner of Internazionale Milan, Massimo Moratti. When asked why he jumped into football, Moratti said: "I am touched by passion, that is the only reason you jump into football, if you want to make better money avoiding this world, and for those who want to lose or lose money, go get over here. "

Football is Italian self-esteem

The owner of an Italian football club very often suffers financial losses. However, this does not leave the club owner. There is a non-financial performance that makes them want to survive, namely popularity. A person's reputation is immediately strengthened once he has a club.

This popularity has finally been used by many people to reap benefits in other fields, including politics. Silvio Berlusconi is a real example. He could become Italy's prime minister in three periods after AC Milan. It is not surprising that many Italians, despite having excessive financial budgets, still want a football club.

However, everything changed when the economic crisis hit Europe and several countries in the world since 2008. Some club owners have started to open their eyes. Popularity and self-esteem are no longer a priority. By prioritizing logic, people like Massimo Moratti or Silvio Berlusconi began sincerely leaving the club he loved.

In fact, the clientelism system that is rooted and the honor of Italian football began to erode. Invasion of foreign businessmen is inevitable. A prolonged recession has prompted Italian clubs to open their doors to foreign investors. Apart from Juventus, who still survived the power of the Italian company under the Agnelli dynasty, other clubs slowly began to be controlled by foreigners.

The latest is Fiorentina, which was recently acquired by an American businessman with Italian blood, Rocco Commisso. Like most foreigners with only one Italian club, Commisso has also promised to restore the glory of Fiorentina. "I guarantee you that I will give everything here, not just money," Rocco Commisso said on the Italian football website.

Now, Italy's pride in having a soccer club has actually begun to erode when the invasion of foreign businessmen increased. However, it seems necessary to restore the reign of Serie A as the best competition in the world.