FIGC President implores clubs to drop ticket prices

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Football Federation (FIGC) President Franco Carraro has asked Serie A clubs to reduce ticket prices in order to halt a pronounced fall in attendances. Italy's top-flight clubs are struggling to attract people to their stadia after years of consistent crowd figures. The average number of spectators turning out to watch a topflight match this season is 21,280, a reduction of almost 20% on last year's 26,135.

Carraro's appeal came in the wake of a disappointing turnout for Juventus's clash against title rivals Inter Milan, which drew just 33,772 fans to Turin's Stadio delle Alpi, which boasts a 68,000 capacity. "Pricing policy should give people an incentive to go to the stadium," Carraro told media. "Not all matches are equal. For a big game people would be willing to pay a higher price. There are, however, matches like Juventus versus Siena, or Juventus versus Chievo, and in those cases the prices are not being dropped."

Pricing policy, however, is only part of the problem. An Italian fan buying a ticket for a Serie A match is likely to spend considerably less than his English counterpart pays to see a Premier League game. The average price of the cheapest ticket available at Serie A clubs is just over EU 17. Increased security measures, the threat of violence and outdated, uncomfortable stadia have also been blamed for the drop.