Calcio Debate: Are Serie A Clubs Slaves To The Fans?

A football club’s supporters are the blood running through the heart of the club; without them no-one will cheer the team on, the club will not have enough money to exist, and will go out of business. With lots of supporters, the opposite happens; gate receipts increase, merchandise revenue increases, the buying power of the club goes up, and the club wins more. So should football club management be a slave to the tifosi, or do they know better?



This issue has come to light due to the goings on in this summers transfer market. The furore that surrounded the Vieri to Atalanta saga was rare due to its ferocity. First, rumours circulated that ‘Bobo’ was to be offered a one-year contract with the Bergamo club, and the Atalanta fans immediately made their feelings known.

Vieri has played twice previously for Atalanta, netting 9 goals in 26 matches, the more recent spell coming in 2006/07 when the club helped him recover from a knee injury that had seen him sidelined for around a year with Monaco. He only made seven substitute appearances, scoring twice, before moving on the next season to Fiorentina, leaving Atalanta fans angry and disappointed.

Upon being linked with a return to the north Italian club, fans graffitied walls and put up posters around Bergamo to express their opposition, saying 'Ungrateful Vieri, you're not worthy of Atalanta'. This opposition was to no avail as the club went ahead with offering him a one year deal.

Whether this reaction is over the top or not is open to debate, but it seems clear that the hardcore of Atalanta fans at least, did not want the club to sign him. But as they as fans are the oil in the machinery of the club, should they be listened to? Not necessarily. The Nerazzurri tifosi may be angry now, but maybe this is one of the cases when the management know best.

Vieri has renewed his footballing career on the back of hard-work and increased professionalism, and scored 6 in 26 appearances for the Viola last term, playing the role of an impact player coming off the bench. The attackers already present at Atalanta don’t give opposition defenders too many sleepless nights; Simone Inzaghi failed to find the net in 19 attempts last year, Muslimovic got 2 in 10, Pinto 6 in his Nerazzurri career. Only Sergio Floccari could be happy with his goals tally of 8. Behind the main striker of course is the star player, and creative maestro Cristiano Doni, who with 12 goals is the main threat.

Therefore, Vieri might be just be the player they are looking for, able to win the odd game, and dependant on his physical state, a proven goalscorer. Coming off the bench to link up with Doni could prove decisive in some games, and the Ultras may have to help themselves to some half-time humble pie. But this remains to be seen.

Alternatively, Serie A provides us with an alternative approach for fans regarding transfer policy; creating transfer request shortlists for their clubs to follow. Juventus fans have little faith in club President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli and sporting director Alessio Secco to find the right players for the Bianconeri, and so make their thoughts very clear. They refused outright the possible move of Dejan Stankovic to Juve due to their opposition to doing any transfers involving Inter Milan. Also, they campaign in fans forums and societies for new signings, which is where the interest in Xabi Alonso came from originally, or at least gained steam.

For this example though, we are talking about the same club ownership that bought Jean-Alain Boumsong, Tiago, and have been linked with Tottenham Hotspurs Younis Kaboul. A little opinion from the fans here may well be a good thing, especially regarding Stankovic, who apart from being an Inter player, has been quite aggressive towards Juventus in the past, saying “we win without stealing”. Knowing who the fans enemies are is surely key to any clubs transfer policy.

And a quick word on Silvio Berlusconi. As reported on All4All-m.blogspot.com, Milan fans are launching a petition against the Italian Prime Minister, demanding that he sells the club due to the lack of success and investment in the last two years. Although this looks more like a tactic to get Mr. Berlusconi’s considerable wallet out of his pocket, it does show how much influence the fans have. Due to his desire both to make Milan successful, and to be popular, this public declaration will almost definitely result in some expensive summer signings before the season begins.

Fan power will always be important to any football club, but it’s up to the management to take into account their opinions, and make the best decision for all concerned based on all the evidence, not just emotions.