Friday, October 26, 2012

Agnelli calls for reform


Although Italy were runners-up to Spain in Euro 2012 this year, clubs have struggled in Europe in the last two seasons as top talent has drained away from a Serie A riddled by scandals, dilapidated stadiums and a lack of investment.
"We have to ask ourselves what Italian football will be like in a few years' time," Agnelli told the club's shareholders at a meeting in Turin.
"Many nations have experienced a decline but none have had such a sudden collapse. We are seeing a complete structural collapse and it can't just be explained away as being part of the financial crisis.
"Football is evolving and it won't wait for Italy. That is a fatal presumption."
Agnelli was speaking after an especially poor week in European club competition for the six Italian teams involved.
In the Champions League, beleaguered AC Milan lost 1-0 at Malaga while Juventus needed a late goal to force a 1-1 draw with Danish newcomers Nordsjaelland in Copenhagen.
Of the four teams in the Europa League, only Inter Milan won but they needed a late goal to beat Partizan Belgrade 1-0.
Lazio drew 1-1 at Panathinaikos while Udinese lost 3-1 at Young Boys and Napoli were beaten by the same score at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk with both defeated sides drawing media criticism for fielding weakened teams.
Italy lost its fourth Champions League place to Germany this season and Udinese, third in Serie A last term, failed to get through qualifying only two years after Inter lifted the trophy.
"Club presidents, the media and general observers ask us if we support this or that candidate to lead Serie A or the Football Federation (FIGC)," Agnelli continued.
"Unfortunately, no one asks what needs to be done to fulfil these two important roles.
"Who does Juve support? We support a structural reform of professional football ... those who don't condemn Italy to being marginalised in Europe and the world.
"Reform of the league, the number of professional clubs and the youth sector. Reform of the status of professional sports, currently governed by a law from 1981 - trademark protection, stadium regulations.
"Comprehensive reform of sporting justice, which cannot deal with investments worth millions of euros as though they were a dispute in a local sports club."
Agnelli, who has been outspoken about the ban handed to Juve manager Antonio Conte for failing to report match-fixing, also spoke out in favor of clubs balancing their books, saying that Italian football was in danger of being left behind.
Giving his backing to UEFA's Financial Fair Play program which demands that clubs live within their means, he said: "Our first objective was to change the club and the team.
"In two years we have forged ahead but winning the title means we must not forget our mandate, which is to win while maintaining a balanced financial position in order to give ourselves prospects for the future.
"Juventus have always promoted the principle of change in the world of football. There is a need for change in Italian football to put it at the level of the rest of Europe."
Juventus, who won the Serie A title last season without losing a match having recovered from a 2006 match-fixing demotion, are unbeaten in their last 47 league matches dating back to the final game of the 2010-11 season.
They will be looking to stretch the run at seventh-placed Catania on Sunday. Milan hold the record for an unbeaten Serie A streak at 58 matches from 1991-93.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Quagliarella with Juventus amid Roma speculation



Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella has dismissed suggestions that he is interested in moving to Roma. He has scored three goals in seven appearances for the Old Lady so far this season but was excluded from the line-up for the Champions League match against Nordsjaelland on Tuesday night, heightening conjecture that he could be set to be included in a potential swap-deal with Roma's Pablo Osvaldo.

The 29-year-old was quoted as saying earlier this week that he wants to work with Roma coach Zdenek Zeman.

"I want to explain that my words have been misinterpreted," he wrote on his official Facebook page. "I responded to a question about Zeman like any other player.

"He is a coach who preaches an attacking brand of football that allows all of his forwards to express themselves in a good light.

"But I have no intention of leaving Turin. It is a fantastic city, I'm happy here with Juventus, a club with whom I have won things with."

Quagliarella who joined Juventus from Napoli in 2010, appears to have fallen out of favour with national coach Cesare Prandelli and also finds his Juventus position under threat from Sebastian Giovinco, Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Del Piero set for 800th game


Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero will play his 800th professional game on Sunday, admitting he never dreamed of reaching such a landmark.

The 37-year-old former Juventus legend has impressed in all three games he has played for his new club Sydney FC, including scoring the winner against Western Sydney last weekend.

Piero said he was grateful to still be performing. "I'm not 100 percent, definitely," he told reporters after training on Wednesday. "But I'm feeling good because I'm training every day and this is important."

Del Piero has spent 19 seasons with Juventus, two with Padova as a youngster and played 91 internationals for Italy, with his fourth appearance for Sydney this Sunday against Perth Glory taking him to 800 matches.
He said he never dreamed of playing so many games.

"If I'm honest, no, but I'm happy it will happen here,"  Del Piero said of the milestone. 

"It (800 games) is a long time. I'm happy to be here and I broke a lot of records in Italy. Now I start here."

"When I played my first game, I was really happy -- it was enough," he added. "I was 18 and I didn't know what would happen with the future. I had a lot of dreams and a lot of them have happened and I'm lucky for that."