Decision day looms for Serie A

Italy's Football League (Lega Calcio) faces a fight with Italian state television company RAI as it looks to avoid delaying the start of the new Serie A season.

'Bleed itself dry'
RAI director general Agostino Sacca says he is ready to end 40 years of domestic coverage unless the asking price for a highlights package is halved. Should the threat be carried out, already struggling Italian clubs would see revenues fall further while the majority of fans would miss out on the country's most popular highlights show. "RAI is not prepared to bleed itself dry to save football clubs that are suffocating in debt," Sacca said. 
 
No longer interested
The Lega Calcio are demanding RAI pay €88.8m for the highlights package of Serie A and B goals and live coverage of Italian Cup matches - the same fee that was paid last season. But RAI say they are no longer interested in the low-key Italian Cup and will pay no more than €45m for the goal highlights used on the country's longest-running football show 'Novantesimo Minuto' (90th minute).

Season imminent
With just two weeks to go before the start of the campaign, there are no signs of a deal for terrestrial television and almost half of Serie A's clubs have been unable to agree terms with satellite television channels for rights to live coverage.
 
Acute problems
The uncertainty over income from television is adding to the already acute financial problems facing many Italian teams struggling to deal with rising debts. Representatives of eight Serie A teams without deals recently called for the start of the season to be delayed - a move which until now has been rejected by the League

'Date set'
League president Adriano Galliani revealed that the matter would be on the agenda at an assembly of Serie A and B clubs on Tuesday. "We will discuss this matter all together and until then no one should make predictions," he said. "As president I only hope that whatever decision we take, we can reach it unanimously and that football knows how to show unity. The starting date has already been set, only the assembly of 38 presidents can vote for a postponement."

No agreement
The stalemate over free-to-air highlights is mirrored by a similar failure to reach a deal over pay-per-view rights. Atalanta BC, Brescia Calcio, AC Chievo Verona, Como Calcio, Empoli FC, Modena FC, AC Perugia and Piacenza FC have all been unable to reach agreement with either of Italy's two subscription satellite channels, Telepiù and Stream. The clubs are each demanding €10m for the rights to live coverage of their home matches this season, while the two companies have offered only €4.5m.