Italian FA president Carlo Tavecchio doesn’t like to see Serie A’s soccer stadiums lag behind others in Europe. Like the modern-day Jerry Worlds of America, or new Wembley in London, he wants Italy’s new pitches to be hubs of community and commerce. At an Anti-Mafia Commission hearing, Tavecchio made clear exactly what his vision for the future would be:
“There shouldn’t only be football in stadiums, there should also be pharmacies, cinemas, supermarkets — we need to have more social activities,” FIGC reported Tavecchio as saying. “There could even be lap dancing.”
It’s true that many Italian soccer stadiums are aging, and some blame the league’s recent drop in attendance on old facilities. There’s a case to be made that many of the country’s clubs could benefit from modernized stadiums, but turning them into pleasure palaces probably won’t increase soccer fandom or expand the sport’s demographic reach.
As far as gross comments go, this isn’t even Tavecchio’s strongest work. He was previously elected to his position despite making a racist comment about African players in Serie A, and during his first term he was also caught on recording making homophobic and anti-Semitic comments. Despite all his nonsense, he was re-elected to his post earlier in 2017. So maybe lap dances are the future of Italian soccer.