Mambo Italiano

Following a meeting in Italy yesterday, involving current Serie A and Serie B football clubs, it appears that disagreements between the clubs involved will lead to the formation of a new upper-tier Italian league (something akin to the English Premier League). After years of falling crowds, declining TV revenues and poorly managed stadiums, is this the breakthrough that Italian football needs? Strategically, will the Italians be able to recapture some of the ground lost to other European leagues? In what way will the strategy be developed, implemented and managed? If the English Premier League is the benchmark, should it be followed or should a unique, distinctively Italian strategy be formulated? Has Italian football (and its clubs) had a business model in recent years? In which case, how will the proposed initiative impact upon it (them)? Or is the relative decline of Italian football in part due to the absence of a business model? If this is the case, what will will the Italian football business model look like? Like the Premier League's? Like La Liga's? Or like something else? Perhaps the proposed change is nothing more than a false dawn for Italian football, a game beset by social, economic and political problems? And how long will it be before we find out this? Moreover, in the brave new world of Italian football, how will good governance principles be established, how will competitive balance be maintained, and how will equity and fairness across the league structure be preserved?