Gravina: ‘Hope no FIFA and UEFA sanctions’ over Italian Government checks

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina warns the Italian authorities face pushback from UEFA and FIFA over a new agency to check the financial health of clubs. ‘I hope there won’t be sanctions.’

Sides currently have to prove their financial stability before registering for each new season with the COVISOC, effectively an Italian version of the consumer protection agency.

However, the Italian Government is pushing through reforms that would set up a new agency solely to keep a tighter grip on the financial affairs of football clubs, much to the anger of the Lega Serie A and FIGC.

“There is a great deal of resistance from FIFA and UEFA, who cannot understand the need for this new type of agency,” Federation chief Gravina told Calciomercato.com.

“They said that soon there will be an announcement from them. We hope it is only a general complaint without the proposal of sanctions.

“The ideas of the new law are to be shared, but not the way they are going about it. I will discuss it again with the Government and repeat that the problem is not the checks, but the issues that must make those checks more effective.”

Gravina warns Italy risk ire of FIFA and UEFA

FIFA and UEFA clamp down very strongly on any nation that uses its Government to interfere with the independence of sport and the use of a Government agency to check on football clubs could prompt repercussions.

Italian football is going through a series of discussions with ministers to work out how to help the industry go forward, especially after the Growth Decree was scrapped.

That law allowed clubs to save up to 50 per cent on taxes of salaries for players who came in from abroad.