Italian league president demands state assistance

Italian league president Adriano Galliani yesterday insisted the government has a responsibility to help the country’s football clubs in their television dispute because of the tax revenues earned from the game.

Galliani was speaking after the Italian league authorities (Lega Calcio) agreed to postpone the start of the Serie A and Serie B seasons after negotiations over television rights stalled.

The delay is likely to increase financial worries in a league which has already seen one club - Fiorentina - go to the wall this summer. The Lega Calcio wants to ease the burden by spreading the club’s tax payments over a longer period and will ask the Italian FA (FIGC) to plead their case with the government.

‘‘We are asking the state to help us out of this situation without any favouritism by only, for example, helping us to regain a tax competitiveness regarding our European competitors,’’ said Juventus representative Antonio Giraudo.

The move is likely to lead to protests against one of the richest competitions in world football going cap in hand to the tax-payer.

But Galliani, who as vice-president of AC Milan - the club run by Italian president and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi - has some influence in government circles and has sought to pre-empt the criticism.

‘‘In the past days I have not heard any politician say a thing, that is the state should be grateful to football and not vice versa,’’ he said.

‘‘If a player drives a Ferrari, half of the Ferrari goes to the state. No-one has pointed out if we decrease the players’ contracts we also decrease the tax revenue so the state has to be grateful.’’

The decision to postpone the start of the season was taken following a failure to reach an agreement with state broadcaster RAI over a highlights package and the refusal of eight Serie A clubs and 13 Serie B sides to sign a deal with subscription television station Telepiu.

Lega Calcio have rejected the £28.8m on offer from RAI for match highlights as it is around 40% less than last season’s deal which also included some Coppa Italia matches.

However, Galliani - set to meet with RAIsport director Paolo Francia this evening - does not anticipate anyone succeeding where the state broadcaster failed.

‘‘My prediction is either it is sold to RAI or the championship will begin without public television images,’’ he said.

The problem has been exacerbated by the refusal of some of the clubs to accept the individual deals offered by Telepiu for live broadcast rights.

The eight Serie A sides - Atalanta, Brescia, Perugia, Chievo, Como, Empoli, Modena and Piacenza - are unhappy with the £3.3m offered to each of them by the subscription broadcaster.

By contrast, champions Juventus, the top earners, will get £34.6m. In a bid to solve the problem the league had agreed to help the eight plus three of the Serie B sides - Venezia, Vicenza and Verona - form a consortium to negotiate jointly with Telepiu.

It is a move which Galliani believes could lead to the league setting up their own television company, thereby earning money straight from the viewers.