“It gives the agent too much control of power over transactions.” “It’s a very odd situation to have the structure set in the way they do it in Europe with player agents getting paid from both sides of the table when they’re supposed to really be representative of one client,” he continued. Tacopina argues that this creates an evident conflict of interest because players are represented by someone who receives compensation directly from the club. “In Italy, and all European countries, there is the issue of the club having to pay the agent and the player having to pay the agent.” represent only the player, they’re only paid by the player and they only work for the player,” he said. In Italy, Tacopina has also learned the tough rules of the transfer market game, which he finds particularly strange for the amount of power held by player agents. Unlike what he was used to experiencing in the U.S., Tacopina explains that agents in Italy demand a commission from both the player and the club when it’s time to close in on a deal.
AC Milan and RC Lens held at the Giuseppe Meazza, San Siro Stadium in Milan on Septem(Photo by Gary M Prior/Getty Images) AC Milan won the match 2-1. MILAN - SEPTEMBER 18: Outside the San Siro Stadium before the UEFA Champions League match between. In fact, bureaucracy is the main reason why many Serie A soccer clubs are still playing in outdated stadiums, which lag far behind the modern sporting venues found in major European leagues or the MLS.īy hindering innovation in stadiums, these bureaucratic hurdles end up affecting income from gate receipts and match-day hospitality, a revenue stream that the Deloitte Football Money League financial review estimates to contribute to as much as 18% of a soccer club’s total annual proceeds. “Things move a lot slower here than everywhere else I know of,” Tacopina said, who portraits himself as a person who likes entering the meeting room, agreeing on a game plan and getting out to execute it as fast as possible. He especially complains about delay, as Italy has proven to be rife with bureaucratic hurdles that often obstruct his favorite way to deal with problems: efficiency. (Photo by Mario Carlini - Iguana Press/Getty Images) Getty Imagesīy sitting on the board of major Italian clubs for over a decade, Tacopina has learned to live with some of the biggest flaws of the Italian soccer system. stand prior the beginning of the Serie B match between Bologna FC and AS Varese at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on Octoin Bologna, Italy. Lessons From The Italian Soccer WorldīOLOGNA, ITALY - OCTOBER 18: Joe Tacopina new President of Bologna FC stands beneath the Bulgarelli. Over the following three years, he sat on AS Roma’s board of directors as the club’s vice president, before moving on to become the president of Bologna, Venezia and, most recently, SPAL. In 2011, Tacopina joined a consortium of American investors that acquired a majority stake in AS Roma for €110 million (at today’s exchange rate, $127m), turning the Giallorossi into the first Serie A club with U.S. “That’s when people are going to spend money, when they’re at the stadium,” Tacopina said.Īs he failed to understand why Italian clubs were not capitalizing on their fans’ engagement, Tacopina became convinced that implementing a stronger business-driven approach to decision-making could be the key to unleashing the untapped potential that he thought was hidden in Italian soccer.
Digital Image Mandatory Credit: Grazia Neri/ALLSPORT Getty ImagesĪt the same time, however, Tacopina went through a poor stadium experience as a fan, as he remembers sitting on dirty seats, wasting too much time in line for a panino order and not finding original AS Roma jerseys for his kids due to the kiosks only selling knock-off merchandise.
: A general view during the Serie A 28th Round League match between Roma and Lazio.
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