A whole new ball game
He played 634 games for FC Internazionale. He won 94 caps for Italy - 70 as
captain. And now, at the age of 61, he is serving his old team Inter as club
president. Giacinto Facchetti is in a perfect position to discuss the state
of the game in Italy.

uefa.com: How has football changed since your playing days?

Giacinto Facchetti: Tactics come and go, but players have become quicker and
more powerful, adapting to the demands of a game played at a faster pace and
with less space. In my day, teams were spread out over the pitch but now they
are concentrated between the two penalty areas. There is more uniformity of
style because of television, and possibly a greater balance of abilities, but
because of this individual talent is more important if one team is to
overcome another.

uefa.com: How about off the pitch?

Facchetti: That's where football has really changed. In my day, a club's
money came from the gate; today that accounts for only 25 per cent of income,
especially for big clubs. In the past, the media were concerned purely with
the game, but now they delve into television rights, sponsors, marketing,
European legislation, players' private lives and so on.

uefa.com: What are the consequences of this?

Facchetti: A chaotic system in which some players have become superstars!
There are fewer genuine football people involved and the sport has become the
domain of lawyers, marketing men, politicians, financiers and the media. The
public can find this disconcerting, but there is a good side in that people
are more enthusiastic than ever and match attendances and television
audiences have remained high.

uefa.com: What other important changes have there been?

Facchetti: The coach's role has changed. In the old days, he had to be a
psychologist, capable of inspiring the eleven first-team players and two or
three reserves by communicating directly to them. Nowadays, with squads
reaching 25 or 30 players and with team rotation, the job is about managing
the squad collectively and getting the best out of them over a season. A
coach used to have time to oversee the physical and technical training;
today, with so much travel and pressure, it is more important to handle the
psychological and physical stress that individuals come under. The ability to
rest and recover from injury is crucial.

uefa.com: How is the modern player different?

Facchetti: Basically, he has to be able to play without the ball, so players
who can win the ball are as important as those who can do things with it. The
emphasis on the pressing game means there are very few runs of 60-80 metres -
dribbling the ball, with time to think - but rather constant sprints of 10-20
metres to attack space. It is less technical.

uefa.com: But there are still star players ...

Facchetti: Yes, but a modern star is not just an individual, he's more a
package with a whole staff revolving around him. It is absurd to think of the
top players as employees: their status should be changed to freelance
professionals. In a big club, with many star players, it takes a superhuman
effort to manage the group. This may explain why many top clubs failed in the
UEFA Champions League this season.

uefa.com: What will be the problems in the near future?

Facchetti: Financial ones - clubs must find a better balance between earnings
and expenditure. They must learn how to use new sources of income and must
slash excessive costs. The club licensing system proposed by UEFA will be
crucial.

uefa.com: What else must be achieved?

Facchetti: The priorities must be to stop violence on the pitch and in the
stands, improve refereeing standards and stamp out doping. Finally, we must
find space for the national team. In contrast to club football, the national
team unites fans rather than dividing them.

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