Genoa – «2024 will be a decisive year». Not only for the dossiers of the Italian cities candidate to host the Euro 2032 matches, but also for the football system struggling with debts, stadiums to be renovated and decreasing revenues. For the Minister of Sport Andrea Abodi, “the glass must be seen as half full” and even in phases in which great results are not achieved from traditional sports for our colors such as football and cycling, we must always pay attention to “the interpretation” that uses. Yesterday Abodi was in Genoa and visited the exhibition organized by Coni on the centenary Ligurian sports clubs: «It was a wonderful “immersion” in the intense, precious and lively history of Ligurian sport with men and women who left a mark in our memories and feelings».
Minister, how is the dossier for Euro 2032 and the contest between the cities that have applied to host the competition's matches progressing?
«The confrontation has begun. 2024 will be a decisive year to give meaning and concreteness to the various projects presented by municipal administrations and clubs. The government, together with the FIGC holder of the candidacy, will provide the tools to accompany all the various phases of the project”.
Among the cities that have proposed there is Genoa. What stage is the candidacy of the Ligurian capital at??
«In Genoa I followed the phases of the project thanks to my previous experiences as president of the Lega di B and of sports credit. Thinking of Genoa today I would use the term latent planning. In the sense that the desire to restructure the Ferraris is present in the reasoning of the administration but intermittent in the will and vision of the clubs which, for different reasons, have not managed to concentrate on an element that cannot be of secondary importance”.
Now, however, it seems that the situation is different.
«In addition to sports centers where you can train, a functional stadium is a piece of the present and future for every club. The way it is made, Ferraris is the classic football stadium that we all would like but it must be modernized to meet the needs of the fans and the companies that will have to work there. The project is very clear, I have it well in mind: I worked on it personally together with my old colleagues. What is missing is the decisive drive and determination of the clubs that have experienced ups and downs here in Genoa but which I now hope have found stability that goes beyond sporting results.”
The Municipality of Genoa has reiterated its intention to renew the Ferraris regardless of Euro 2032. Could this be a stimulus?
«I have always found constant availability from the administration. I hope that this predisposition, which is not always found, will allow the two owners to include the restructuring of the stadium among their priorities beyond results: a new facility represents a prospect of growth not only in revenues but in the sporting project as a whole ».
Many Serie A presidents have complained about the end of the relief from the Growth decree at a time when football is heavily in debt. What is the government's attention on this issue?
«Even in this case I am convinced that 2024 will be a decisive year. I hope that we can get to a table with the League to discuss an industrial plan. On our part there is no interest in harming: it is not part of our culture. It's such a negative concept that we can't even pronounce it, it's not part of our DNA. Instead, there is a need for dialogue with the 20 Serie A clubs as part of an overall reform of the football system. We must also take into account that, every year, there are three clubs that alternate between Serie A and B. Football must evolve and emancipate itself because the way to contain debt is through the relationship with fans who need perspective, credibility and reputation”.
Returning to the sport practiced, it seems that Italy is experiencing a sort of paradox: traditional disciplines such as football and cycling are in crisis while victories and trophies are arriving from sports that are often stingy with results, such as tennis. How do you explain it?
«Even in this case you need to have an interpretation. Football is going through a critical phase but last year three teams reached the finals of the three European competitions. We didn't go to the World Cup due to two penalties but now we are at Euro 2024, we won the under 19 European championships and we are vice-champions of the under 20 world championship. The bike, however, is part of our people. Street cycling is going through a difficult season also due to a phase of generational turnover but on the track we are achieving important successes and a historic tradition is being rediscovered that does not only revolve around an extraordinary athlete like Filippo Ganna. Road cycling is experiencing the difficulties of a time in which cycling was more the subject of crime news than sport. The great effort to be made must go towards road literacy that can recreate those conditions where it no longer has to be a challenge to go on the road with a bike”.
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