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'We hope to return to the glories of the past'

Despite the difficulties in Italian football, Simonelli does not fear a decline in interest in favor of other sports: 'We are happy for Italy's successes in all other sports. Sports go in cycles, we are in a non-positive cycle, but we hope it can return to its past glories. When Inter won the Scudetto, there were 400,000 fans in the streets of Milan. The Italian's passion for football always remains. Comparing the data from the World Cup final with the Wimbledon final with Sinner on court, tennis had one million viewers, the World Cup final had 13 million. And the two semi-finals had 5 and 6.5 million viewers respectively.' In other words, football, despite its crisis, continues to have no rivals.

English Translation:

'We hope to return to the glories of the past'

Despite the current challenges in Italian football, Simonelli expressed optimism, stating that he does not foresee a significant erosion of interest in favor of other sports. He remarked, 'We are pleased with Italy's achievements across all sports. The world of sports operates in cycles; we are currently in a less favorable period, but we are hopeful that it will regain its former glory. I recall when Inter won the Scudetto, and 400,000 fans flooded the streets of Milan. The passion Italians have for football is enduring. If we compare the viewership figures for the World Cup final with those for the Wimbledon final featuring Sinner, tennis attracted one million viewers, while the World Cup final drew 13 million. The semi-finals garnered 5 and 6.5 million viewers, respectively.' This illustrates that even amidst its current struggles, football continues to be the dominant sport in terms of public engagement.