The year ended with news that many within Italian football had been dreading. After a heated debate between government ministers on Thursday, the Decreto Crescita (growth decree) that granted tax breaks to foreign professionals was allowed to lapse.
Introduced in April 2019, the decree had a profound effect on Serie A, reducing the tax burden for teams signing players from abroad by as much as 50%. It made possible transfers that otherwise may never have happened. The football finance website calcioefinanza.it estimated Roma and Milan are each saving more than €20m annually on their wage bills, with Juventus, on €17.55m, not far behind.
