The Fall And Fall Of The Italian Football League

I was going through a few articles and blogs that day and came across quite a few Italian fans/pundits who still feel that their league is the best. Honestly speaking as an English football loyalist, Italian football was superior, miles ahead of England in the nineties during the days of Baggio, Maldini, Baresi,Costacurta,Del Piero and Dino Baggio .Most Italian Second Division teams could give the top Premier League teams a run for thier money, and top Italian teams would dominate Europe.

All that seems a distant memory with the huge money poured into the English game reading to the rise of the influx of foreign talent . The flair players of Latin America did not think England were worthy of their talents, and in that respect they were a distant third behind Italy and Spain and hence the talent pool of continents like South America and Africa were completely isolated from the english leagues. The tactical know how was severly limited and this owed to their uselessness in the European Cup.Though all that has changed ten years on, with English clubs doing so well in Europe, and murdering Italian clubs in their own backyard.

Italian fans may not agree with me, but Italian football has been in a state of slow and steady decline. With the off-field controveries, lack of funds and poor attendence in games taking a toll on the Italians. The biggest mistake they have done is that they have resisted the commercialisation of their club and their league , proud feckers that they are this has done them more harm than good. Lack of funds equal to lack of quality, and surely the standard is dipping. Attendances in grounds have fallen drastically with some midtable games having a mere 8 to 10 thousand spectators. Also, the Italians prided themselves of never playing for any other league except thier own !Cannavaro,Zambrotta, Luca Toni, Lucarelli and Grosso among are some players who are playing in other leagues and i think that the Seria A has long lost its charm. Italian Football fanatics all over the world wait for another renaissance in the Italian shores, but its more in hope than expectation.