Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian football federation, has confirmed that he and his colleagues will do everything that they can in order to save the 2019/20 season.
Football in Italy has been on hold for a few weeks now due to the global Coronavirus pandemic and it is unlikely to resume any time soon given the circumstances but Gravina is refusing to lose hope of the season resuming at some stage.
European football’s governing body UEFA have postponed the European Championship’s that were due to take place this Summer in order to open up the months of June and July to finish their domestic campaigns if required.
“The primary objective is to resume the season, we have traced a scenario that foresees the resumption of the league because I think it is the right choice,” he remarked in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Sportiva earlier on this evening.
“This is a hypothesis that we have a duty to carry on but we are also working on alternative hypotheses to give concrete answers to our clubs and our fans.
“We are sure that we will try, in every way possible, to save the current season without compromising the next. We will have the European Championship’s and other commitments of the national teams and we cannot think of starting the 2020-2021 past mid-August.”
He was then asked what would happen in the event that the season does not resume but reiterated that the priority is to conclude the season.
“The Federal Council has decision-making power and will exercise it in the most balanced way without underestimating the risks of disputes that Italian football cannot afford. We are studying several hypotheses but there is no one better than another. The priority is to finish the season.”
Next Gravina spoke on players having to potentially take pay cuts.
“Several initiatives have been launched, there are proposals and we are trying to find a middle ground between the different positions that are held. We cannot pretend that football is not suffering economic damage just like industry has all over the country.”
He concluded by discussing Serie A clubs calls for rules on betting companies to be relaxed to help out during this crisis situation.
“We have to separate what are emergencies to make up for the short-term liquidity shortage from what are structural needs that will have to be addressed because sport will also undergo a radical change that we will have to guide and accompany.”
