Why #FIGC Measures will be ineffective for #SerieA and #Azzurri

Antonio Conte and Carlo Tavecchio

Days after Antonio Conte's public intimation of feeling abandoned from the Italian footballing world as national team coach, the FIGC introduced measures to spur growth of available talent for the nazionale.

To recapitulate, the measures will mirror Champions/Europa League roster limits (25 players of which 4 must be home grown, and another 4 must be grown in Italy), and place conditions (such as national team appearances) on a second incoming non-EU player from a foreign league.

Ostensibly, these reforms are meant to bolster playing time for Italian talent, thereby expanding the universe of players available to the national team.

In my opinion, these reforms will not have the intended effect, are feeble at best, and ascribe to a small-minded defeatist philosophy. 

Specifically, the reforms by Tavecchio will likely have:

1. a small, positive effect on improving the breadth (quantity) of Italian national team players, but unlikely to have a positive effect on the depth (quality);

2. a small negative effect on Italy's club team performances in European competitions, due to the lowered ability of smaller rosters to compete on multiple fronts;

3. a small negative effect on the quality of Serie A IF one of its clubs misses out on signing a non-EU player coming from another league because of the restrictions;

4. a small positive effect in producing younger (faster) sides in Serie A and speeding up game play,
 
    4a. In turn, the quality of EU youth players within Serie A's
    sphere will then have an effect on the competitiveness of the 
    league in UEFA competitions (if good quality, good results; if  
    bad quality bad results).

The policy theory of Tavecchio & Co. seems to be: "The fewer foreigners, the better the league and the better the national team". This theory is supposedly built on evidence that Serie A's golden period was due to fewer foreigners, but - in my opinion - it's misguided.

Yes, there were restrictions on foreigners from the mid-60s until the Bosman ruling. Yes, Italy did make a handful of intenrational tournament finals during that period. 

However, what made Serie A special and the nazionale better (by having Italians compete with the best) was the fact that it was able to attract world class super stars - foreign or not. 

Talent.

And what does talent follow? Money.

Thus, if Serie A and the national team want to have more success, they should try to raise their market and their profile worldwide in order to gain a bigger share in merchandizing, TV rights, etc. as I suggested some time ago on "Ten Reform Proposals for Italian Football". Competing leagues (English Premier League, La Liga) are crowding them out.

Erecting a protectionist wall around the country like the FIGC is doing is antiquated, misguided and ineffective.