Rossoneri only side to advance to knock-out stage of Champions League.
With Juventus and Napoli crashing out of the Champions League, it leaves just one Serie A club in the knock-out phase of the competition for the first time since the 32-team format was introduced in 1999.
The situation has been labelled a ‘disaster’ by La Gazzetta dello Sport, as beyond the obvious disappointment of not having significant representation in Europe, the consequences are serious for Italian clubs moving forward.
With the crisis threatening to worsen, co-efficient rankings, finances, image and prestige are all likely to take a blow as a result of the latest failings in the Champions League.
AC Milan were the only team to progress on Wednesday, and while the short-term picture looks good for the Rossoneri considering that they will now take home the remaining TV market pool money for the Champions League, they are guaranteed a tough draw on Monday morning.
Having finished second in their group, they can be paired with any of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSG, Dortmund, Manchester United or Atletico Madrid, and given their struggles so far this season there are warranted doubts over how far they can go.
Serie A was dealt a significant blow as recently as 2011 when the number of Champions League places was reduced to three, leaving them behind the likes of England, Spain and Germany.
As a direct result of their inability to reach the latter stages of both the Champions League and Europa League, France, Portugal and Russia have all made significant ground on them in UEFA’s coefficient rankings, which threatens to see them drop down further.
Since 2003, 48 teams from England have qualified for the second round, Spain 47, Italy 39, Germany 30 and France 22.
While that in itself is embarrassing enough for Serie A, the financial implications of not advancing beyond the group stages of the Champions League will undoubtedly be felt.
Last year, Juventus obtained €65.3m in total following their Champions League run, but as things stand they have earned just €11.1m from the six group games and realistically can earn only €45m provided they reach the Europa League final which takes place in Turin.
That is a minimum drop of €20m and considering the current financial state of Italian clubs, that will only serve to further leave them behind their European rivals.
It is a worrying time for Serie A in terms of their participation in Europe, and the off-the-pitch concerns are only growing.
However, with Juve, Napoli, Fiorentina and Lazio all in the Europa League there is hope that there will be a significant Italian presence deep into the tournament while all hope lies with Milan at Europe’s top table.
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