April 16 – Italy is facing the prospect of losing a place in the Champions League to Germany and falling behind France in the order of Europe’s top leagues, AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani (pictured) has warned.
Galliani claimed that the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in 2006, in which then Serie A champions Juventus were implicated – along with AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina – and accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees, had damaged Italy’s standing in Europe and that it was in danger of falling behind Europe’s other major leagues.
He said: ”One of the effects of the Calciopoli is to have reverberations on the UEFA index for Italy and from now on it’s practically certain that Germany will overtake us.
“We have less than a 0.5-point advantage on Germany [at the beginning of the season], and it’s now certain that from 2012 we’re going to lose a Champions League team and even maybe in 2011.”
The UEFA index is calculated on the performance of clubs in each country in European competitions during the past five seasons and determines the number of teams each country can enter for the Champions League and Europa League.
The top three in the current index – England, Spain and Italy – are allowed four teams in the money-spinning Champions League.
Galliani said that the Calciopoli scandal resulted in the disappearance of some of the strongest teams in Italy, such as Juventus, who were relegated, and their replacement by teams without the same ambitions.
He said: ”With all the respect that I have for Chievo it is obvious that they couldn’t have the same objectives as Juv.
“Germany are overtaking us for two reasons – one is the Calciopoli, the other is the 2006 World Cup [in Germany], which allowed new stadiums to be built.
“That had a positive effect with new players and more competitive teams.”
Galliani fears that France could also soon move ahead of Italy if they are awarded the 2016 European Championships, which both countries are bidding for, along with Turkey.
He said: “If France win the right to host Euro 2016 we will also be overtaken by them.”