The darkest Christmas in Italian sport. The #salviamolosport campaign is underway
The 245 clubs belonging to the Pro League, the Serie A Basket League, the National Basketball League, the men's Volleyball League and the women's Volleyball League will experience the darkest Christmas ever if the Government does not intervene with concrete help. Italian sport, local sport, the Leagues and Clubs that represent the heart of the movement are dramatically on the brink of the abyss, having not benefited from public aid, unlike what happened in Germany, Great Britain and France. In fact, in Europe the state of suffering of sports clubs has been recognized which, carrying out an incomparable social function, are carrying out their championships amid growing economic difficulties which are now seriously putting their very survival at risk. This did not happen in Italy.
In the meantime, however, between additional health costs for swabs and "bubbles" and lost box office revenues due to the prolonged closure of stadiums and arenas - which due to the Covid-19 pandemic could continue for the entire season - dozens of clubs risk having to close its doors, ruining sporting, social and territorial assets built over decades of activity.
Minister Spadafora, Minister Gualtieri and the parliamentary representatives received a package of proposals which contains fiscal relief measures, a non-repayable fund to cover health expenses, financing provided by the Institute for Sports Credit guaranteed at a central level for the needs of liquidity. The Clubs are appealing to the Government to ensure that some form of compensation is granted as soon as possible.
So far, for these entities that cannot rely on substantial television revenues, the Government has taken steps to pass a law that recognizes a 50% tax credit on sponsorships. But the failure to approve the implementing decree, also called upon to resolve some interpretative uncertainties, has created an impasse which is weakening, if not nullifying, the effectiveness of the intervention. In the 2020/2021 sports season, sponsorship revenues decreased by at least a third compared to the previous one.
The Clubs' cry of alarm was received by the 4.0 Committee which, through a survey in which 90% of the Clubs participated, highlighted, on the part of 95% of the respondents, the need for financial help to complete the current sports season. For sports clubs, an average requirement of 42% of the revenues of the 18/19 sports season is estimated, with an average of 623 thousand euros each. So far only a third of the audience has received state support to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. But the average amount of this aid, for the Clubs that received it, covers just 14% of this need.
We must act promptly. The urgency of receiving aid is expressed by half of the Clubs is estimates that he cannot last beyond January with its own resources. The sacrifices made so far by the owners are no longer enough and it would be even more dramatic if they ultimately proved useless. For 8 out of 10 clubs, a loan guaranteed by the state would therefore be very useful, a check to overcome the moment of difficulty to be repaid within a reasonable period of time and above all in exchange for the commitment to undertake, also thanks to this support, a virtuous path to restart based on sustainability.
There are 77 clubs, equal to a third of the audience, who in the absence of state-guaranteed financing will probably not register for the next sports season.
The investigation is clear. There is no more time, concrete actions are needed. The clubs, including Derthona Basket which joined with the signature of President Roberto Tava, are asking for the sport to be saved (#let's savesport): There are thousands of jobs among athletes and staff members at risk, as is the social role played in the area by the clubs, especially for the benefit of younger people. Finally, the tax revenue of around 23 million euros generated by the activities of these sports companies risks disappearing.
