Former Inter director Ernesto Paolillo has shared his belief that it will take football a number of years to recover from the Coronavirus crisis.
Leagues across the globe have been suspended and some even cancelled entirely due to the global pandemic and the pandemic has caused and will cause further financial damage.
It has been estimated that Serie A and the 20 clubs combined could lose a total of €800 million in the worst case scenario that the season does not resume.
“I want to be realistic. It will take at least two years from the end of the pandemic for football to recover because the world of football is closely linked to the industrial and economic world,” he remarked in an interview with Turin based newspaper Tuttosport which appeared in today’s print edition of the Turin newspaper.
“The football industry has an immediate problem, given the suspension of the leagues, and the problem of having to face a recovery that will be a slow process.”
Paolillo then went on to call for temporary changes to the Financial Fair Play system to help clubs out during these difficult times.
“There should be a temporary revision to Financial Fair Play to help the teams to recover. This revision must not be a loosening of the rules that will allow the big clubs to make more purchases and widen the gap with less well off clubs.
“It should concern the balance sheets and the possibility must be given to widen the maximum deficit allowed due to the revenues lost due to the Coronavirus.”
Paolillo, who has not taken up another position in football since leaving Inter at the end of the 2011/12 season, then spoke on the difference that resuming seasons would have on things.
“It would help from an economic point of view and would be a tool to give people distraction, but on the other hand there will be great regarding the results of the matches.”
