Transforming Serie A into No 1 league will take time but it’s possible, admits Paolo Dal Pino
The president of the Serie A Paolo Dal Pino has confessed that while it will take a lot of time and effort to make the Serie A the best league in the world, it’s an achievable goal. The CEO of Telit Communications was appointed as the league’s president in January and replaced Gaetano Micciche.
For the first time since the 2001/02 season, second place in the Serie A finished a mere one point behind the eventual winners with Juventus lifting the title on both occasions. While the Old Lady has dominated the league over the last decade or so, things look like they’re changing with Lazio, Atalanta and Inter Milan all trying their best to catch up. However, while they still failed to stop Juventus this term, the early signs are that the Old Lady’s dominance over the league is coming to an end.
That does point towards a brighter future for Italian football and the Serie A in general as it looks to try and compete with the higher-earning leagues around it. But in a recent interview, president Paolo Dal Pino revealed that he believes that the Serie A could become one of the best, if not the best, leagues in world football. He further added that things are changing in Italy with the league becoming a lot more balanced as time passes and with the right moves, they could become even more competitive.
“If I look at the other championships, particularly the gap between the first and second-placed teams, the fourth and the fifth, the league was quite balanced this season. My wish is to have a Serie A that becomes more and more attractive for investors who love this sport and consider this sport a huge business if managed with the appropriate governance and management philosophy,” Dal Pino told the Athletic.
“Once we attract the right investors, the right players, the right sponsors, then greater competitive balance will follow. I take this opportunity to welcome Dan Friedkin (Roma’s new American owner), a charismatic person, a great entrepreneur, who I am sure will do good for our game. I hope we can become a reference for the industry. Transforming Serie A into the No 1 league in the world will take time. But if we do the right things, we can accelerate.”
