Serie As Big 5 Fighting TV Rights Agreement with Smaller Clubs

Italian soccer’s fight between its bigger and smaller Serie A clubs continues after a TV rights meeting in Milan failed to see an agreement reached.

Adriano Galliani, vice-chairman of AC Milan, said to reporters: “Zero-zero, the ball stays in the middle. But negotiations will restart next Monday. The assembly remains open.”

The next meeting is scheduled for June 6 and will see the league’s big five clubs (Milan, Inter, Juventus, Roma, Napoli) contest their case against five representatives of the smaller clubs: probably Lazio, Udinese, Catania, Palermo and another yet to be named.

Lega Serie A president Maurizio Beretta said during a press conference: “We need quickly an agreement for 2011/12 and we still have to sell those from 2012 to 2015. Even if it is hard and difficult, we have to look at reality and walk the road to a deal.”

Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus, said: “The big five clubs have 3 million audience against 300,000 of the other 15 clubs.

“Unfortunately, those who don’t invest huge amounts in this moment have more power to decide. We will appeal to [the Italian National Olympic Committee] to protect the development of sport. We are compact with the other 4, and also evaluate the hypothesis of an exit from the league.”