Parma captain Lucarelli welcomes FIGC reforms

Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli has welcomed new initiatives launched by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), but admitted it could be too little too late for his side.

FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio announced this week that Italian football will have a host of new reforms in place for the start of next season to ensure other clubs do not suffer in the same way Parma have.

Bottom of Serie A, Parma have twice been deducted points this season for failing to pay their players, while two games have been postponed amid ongoing uncertainty at the Ennio Tardini.

The club was declared bankrupt earlier this month, with staggering debts of over €218million.

Club captain Lucarelli has led the calls for more to be do to help Parma – and other teams in similar situations – and he is pleased to see significant moves being made in Italian football’s corridors of power.

“There is great satisfaction and even pride to ‘win’ yesterday,” he said. “We are managing to improve the system.

“It is also in the interest of old and new presidents to have healthy teams, not only the players and the fans.

“[But] in Italy we are specialists in fixing things after the damage [has been done].

“Our goal now is to save Parma from Serie B.”

Under Tavecchio’s new reforms – which were unanimously approved – Italian football will introduce a fit and proper person’s test for club owners, demand proof of solvency for anyone wanting to buy more than 10 per cent of a club and require financial guarantees that each side will be able to see out a full season.

The FIGC also revealed a three-year plan to roll out a Financial Fair Play test that will assess assets and liabilities, and act as a liquidity indicator.