Ten things that need to go from the Serie A

Ten things that plague the Serie A

We've always talked about how positive football can be, let us now uncover the darker side of football. Here are Ten things that need to go from the Serie A

1. Hooliganism – No one can deny the rampant hooliganism that is prevalent in Italy. The ultras are more often than not are seen bullying the fans. This results in the more and more matches being played behind the closed doors.

2. Economical muddles – No Italian club is financially capable of competing with the bigwigs of Europe. Not even the mighty Milan clubs and Juventus. This largely due to the nation’s ailing economy and lack of investment from foreign sources.

3. Marketing – The league lags behind German Bundesliga in terms of international viewership. This seriously hampers the glamour quotient of the league.

4. Juve’s Monopoly – Juventus’ stranglehold over the Scudetto’s is unchallenged for past four seasons. No team has given them enough competition and this has made the league more monotonous.

5. Match fixing – Smaller clubs are financially diabolical to say the least. The players of these clubs indulge into illegal betting and match fixing which tarnishes the league’s images.

6. Failure in Europe – Last time an Italian team made a decent run in European competition was in mid 2000’s when Milan clubs were competing with big boys for the European glory. Nowadays, They are eliminated by clubs Spurs, Steaua Bucharest and even Ludogorets in Europa League, to say the least.

7. Lack of world class stadia – Italy doesn’t boast of any mega stadia’s like Old Trafford, Bernabeu, Camp Nou or even Allianz Arena. Except Juventus stadium, all the other stadia are either in pitiable shape or not just good enough. Even San Siro and Stadio Olympico aren’t that great compared to stadia in England, Spain and Germany.

8. Lack of entertainment – Italian league is least glamorous and entertaining league. This is mainly due to the lack of any big name players and partly due to pragmatic style deployed by the Italian teams.

9. Low attendance – There are always half filled stadia in Italy. Average attendance in Serie A is around 35,000, which is way less than the other top leagues.

10. Migration of young talent – Young local talent moves to more glitzy leagues in England or Spain where they can earn more and continue their development. Players like Mario Balotelli and Marco Verrati are the prime examples of earning a better living abroad.