Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has suggested that Serie A should be suspended for two to three years, in reaction to the latest match-fixing scandal. Several players were arrested on Monday as part of police raids across the country and homes and offices searched as the investigations into a betting probe in the peninsula accelerates. When asked his opinion on the scandal that has hit Italy’s Euro 2012 preparations, Monti [pictured above in the centre] offered a drastic solution. “It's particularly sad when a world which should be an expression of the highest values - sport, youth, competition, fairness turns out to be a mass of foul play, falsehood and demagoguery,” the 69-year-old told reporters on a trip to Poland, one of the co-hosts for this summer’s UEFA tournament. “I’m not making a proposal, much less one that comes from government, but it is a desire that sometimes - even though I was very passionate about football so many years ago - I feel inside me - if it would help, then for two or three years it might be an idea to have a total suspension of the game.”
Dismantling the FIGC would be a better option. Replacing it with something that resembles a functional authority with integrity. Then the top 4-6 should join a European Super League.
How would joining a European Super league be a good thing? I think if football goes down that road it will become boring. The system were teams do well in the league and get the privilege to play in Europe is a good one. Maybe cutting back the numbers of teams who compete in the champions league, champions only may be a romantic idea but maybe the top 2 entering. Maybe go back to the old knock out competition. Again, maybe only a pipe dream given the money the current set up can pull in
bad idea cuz it would totally kill italian football. you want to fix it, not cripple it. I believe fining, suspending players, coaches is the best option rather than punishing the whole team and the fans for wrong doing on one or two people. This whole scandal stuff is really a slap in the face for innocent people like the fans and other players who work hard. Why should the whole world pay for that?? there needs to be a better solution if a person commits a crime, do you punish the whole family? no you punish the one and only person involved.
How would the fans travel to support their team during away games? It would turn football into a load of rubbish, watching the same teams play time after time with little atmosphere. Look how boring Barca Real games have become, I am sick of hearing about them, they seem to play as often as Celtic Rangers. I would not want to see the other top teams playing and having this feeling. Playing a national league with the benefit of playing in Europe the following season is fine as far as I can see.
I'm sick of playing shit teams (that fix matches) and destroy leagues. Every single European match has away fans buddy and the atmosphere is great. Spain is a 2 legged race and another story completely, more the reason to have them in Europe. I would really enjoy watching Juve playing the big clubs of Europe weekly, then playing the likes of Cesena, Novara and Lecce among many others.
Well closing Football hurts lots of people, but it's time for FIGC to stop talking and do something and fix the game in Italy. Tarnising your product every few years is bad in the global market, especially with BPL, BL and Liga ready to take more of the market share. FIGC needs to establish standards of Debt/Salary payments, etc for clubs 18 Serie A Clubs 20 Serie B Club and make sure Serie C and Lega Pro players get paid. and stiff penalities for crap done by clubs or players. Maybe it's time for Serie A do what 1st divison clubs did in England in the early 90's and form a corp and take control of their brand/product. (Be very suprised it will happen though) .
serie A is def. tarnished....im seeing so many people make fun of it now and talk shit. They dont even listen to what you have to say cuz it just sounds like excuses. It doesnt matter what it is...but the fact that you're having match fixing twice in less than a decade and your teams are failing in europe..it has become a joke. FIGC needs to do something, they have let this league slide waaaaaaay down from what it was when i was growing up.
Tarnished some, yes, but those who are talking crap are only looking for more reasons to hate Serie A. They would not be converts anyway. As for match fixing, how is it twice in one decade? Calciopoli never established any match fixing. Just a conspiracy to carry one out (and that is stretching).
its not about converting but just having respect. As it was people already try to talk down on italy even when they do win...so things like this just basically further proves their points. I dont care about people liking or following it but at least before there was respect, people feared facing italian teams in europe. Now all they do is give boost of confidence to lower league teams by losing to them. When i posted about juve championship few weeks back, my cousin comments as a joke and say yea and next week we'll hear about some scandal in italy. what do u know it came true....he doesnt even follow this stuff to know but its just what people refer to when talking about italian football now. Ive heard this many times before too from neutral fans...people say ya i used to like serie A but its such a rigged league that its not fun following anymore. Other leagues might be rigged too but its the fact that it hasnt surfaced yet and italy has.
proposing a suspension of calcio is a sure fire way to make sure you don't get re-elected; political suicide.