The football segment of the sport industry and the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy: a conflict analysis

Following the spread of COVID-19 in Italy, from March 2020 all sporting events were stopped. After about a month and a half, due to the successful containment of the virus and with the advent of the so-called “phase 2”, the top football segment – Serie A – of the sport industry began to press to resume activities, the Championship, and the Italian Cup – Coppa Italia. However, things were not so nice and clean. The Italian football world became – more than usual – a real conflict arena, characterized by different groups, each one with conflict- ing interests and opinions. Among the main characters in this conflict were Serie A and its clubs, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the National Olympic Committee (CONI), the Footballers’ Union, the broadcasting companies, the health services, the government, and the fans. The conflict, based on complex power relations and on different positions and opportunities, was multidimensional, structured on an unstable balance, and each party carried out its own request from its own perspective. The outcome was unpredictable. This chapter reconstructs and analyses the conflicts that arose around the possibility of restarting the professional foot- ball season during this first wave of COVID-19.