Hammer blow for Italian football as government rejects Growth Decree extension

The Italian football landscape has today been rocked, by way of a heavy blow on the financial front. This comes amid confirmation that Serie A’s request for an extension to the Growth Decree agreement has been rejected by the government.

For those not familiar with the Growth Decree, it has long acted as something of a saving grace for Italian clubs on the transfer front.

The mandate, first introduced back in 2020 as part of the larger Milleproroghe decree, has enabled Italian clubs to secure crucial tax breaks on player wages.

The ruling, originally introduced to encourage foreign workers to travel to Italy, reduced income taxation from 45% to just 25%.

With the decree due to come to an end at the turn of the year, negotiations had in turn kicked into gear, over a temporary extension through the end of next February.

As per a report from ANSA, cited by Goal, though, a ‘heated discussion’ in the Council of Ministers on Thursday ultimately failed to bear fruit.

As a result, Juventus, Milan, Inter and more have seen their prospects for the winter transfer window, and beyond, harshly curbed as they would struggle to attract top stars.

Conor Laird | GIFN