The Italian broadcaster Rai recently aired a piece of nostalgia that would have brought a tear to the eye of many Serie A fans . It was a 1991 league game between AC Milan and Sampdoria . Onto the pitch at Milan 's imposing San Siro stadium strode a galaxy of stars , with the likes of Ruud Gullit , Roberto Mancini , Marco Van Basten , Gianluca Vialli and Attilio Lombardo strutting their stuff . It was a glimpse back to a golden age . This was an era of almost fantasy football -- competitive , technical , flamboyant , creative -- and Italy basked in the knowledge that its top division was the envy of the world . Ironically it was Serie A , and the Italia 90 World Cup , that played a key role in the resurgence of England 's now all-conquering Premier League . In 1991 English football was still grappling with the aftermath of the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters and many games were played in comparatively dilapidated stadiums under hooliganism 's shadow . Serie A , with its foreign stars and newly-renovated arenas , presented a seductive model to follow . Fast forward 22 years and things appear to have changed completely . Serie A seems not only to have fallen behind the English Premier League and Spain 's La Liga , but also Germany 's Bundesliga and Italy 's latest usurpers , France 's Ligue 1 . Drained of its international talent , plagued by corruption scandals and racism controversies , and struggling to update its creaking infrastructure , the once mighty Serie A looks a pale imitation of its former self . Historian John Foot , author of the authoritative `` Calcio , A History of Italian Football '' , has observed the Italian game 's descent from its 90s peak , and laments its self-inflicted decline . `` They had a golden goose in the 90s and they killed it , which is incredible really , '' Foot told CNN . Part of Serie A 's financial malaise comes from the way the league 's television rights have been sold . While the English Premier League 's TV deals swelled its teams ' coffers , Italy instead split the rights among individual clubs . `` The way the league has previously been packaged on television has been disastrous , '' says Foot , `` with clubs acting purely in their own interests . '' Back in the early 90s , UK football fans , relatively starved of football on TV , consumed the freshly aired Italian football product with enthusiasm . The standard bearer for Serie A on British television was broadcaster James Richardson , who can see some signs of positive change in an Italian game that has long been in the doldrums . `` You can see progress '' , he says , `` and there 's definitely a sense that Serie A is moving forward ; the problem is that it 's moving fairly slowly . '' Richardson 's enthusiasm for the Italian game remains strong , but he points to the pace of change in other leagues as a cause for concern . `` You have to view Serie A 's progress in context , '' he continued . `` The thing is that there has been an explosion of money in other leagues . `` The Premier League , the Bundesliga and now France have taken things to another level in that respect , so even though Serie A is improving too , the gap is actually widening . There are positives , but they 're positives in a provincial sense . '' He also points out Italy lost its fourth Champions League spot -- only three Italian clubs currently qualify for Europe 's premier competition , though ironically Juventus earned the most revenue in last season 's tournament , surpassing even winners Bayern Munich . `` That was a huge financial blow , and you can see its effect on the second tier of Serie A clubs , '' noted Richardson . Italy 's `` Old Lady '' Interestingly , a beacon of hope for the league is actually the club that suffered most from the fall-out of 2006 's Calciopoli scandal . Juve was heavily censured by the authorities at the time , but has since undergone a remarkable renaissance , culminating in the construction of an impressive new stadium -- the only club-owned facility in Serie A . That revival saw Juve reach the Champions Leauge quarterfinals and also become the first to go unbeaten in Serie A 's new 38-game format . Foot says that the club , known in Italy as `` The Old Lady , '' has shown others the way forward . `` Juve 's success , and their new stadium , has given others a model they can aspire to , '' he said . `` You have to give credit to the way they 've turned things around -- they were in disarray ( after 2006 ) but they 've managed to build a new stadium and a very impressive new team in an incredibly short space of time . '' Aside from its obvious commercial advantages , Richardson also believes the new stadium has helped Juve on the pitch . `` It has had a huge benefit in terms of revenue , but actually people overlook its impact on atmosphere , '' he said . `` That may well have had a positive effect on their performances on the pitch . Other clubs can really see that . '' In fact , several are already taking steps to follow the Juve model , with Roma , Lazio and Sampdoria all tabling proposals for new stadiums , and Inter exploring the idea of moving away from the San Siro . Of course , this being Italy , these proposals are fraught with complexity . `` It is hard to get things done in Italy , especially in the big cities , '' explains Foot . `` You need the support of local government and it gets very complicated . The problem is always local politics . The new stadium proposals in Rome and Milan will be difficult to realize because of that . I 'm not sure I can see them happening any time soon . `` It may be easier in the smaller cities though , so perhaps in somewhere like Genoa ( home of Sampdoria ) there 's a better chance . '' Stamping out racism . The most public problem Serie A has faced in recent months has been the issue of racism , but to the credit of the league , it appears determined to stamp this out . Most recently , Lazio has seen its famous Curva Nord ( the section of the stadium occupied by its hardcore Ultras ) closed by the authorities . `` Shutting the Curva is a huge step , '' said Foot . `` These fans live for that , it 's everything to them , so it 's really hitting them where it hurts . '' As this most beautiful and cultured of countries readies itself for a new football campaign , there are other indications that Serie A might finally be getting back on track to compete with Europe 's big leagues . `` The stadiums , the fans , the racism issue -- all that needs sorting , '' adds Foot , `` but there are signs that is starting to happen . `` The crucial thing is the way the league is marketed ; marketing Serie A as a package , which focuses on the whole league , not just the big teams , has to be the way to drive success . '' The latest TV deal may not be as lucrative as that of England 's Premier League , but it is at least far more equitable . `` Serie A has finally got its act together on TV rights , '' says Foot , `` and you can also see clubs like Napoli and Udinese investing their money wisely or making long-terms plans . '' Indeed , Napoli have caught the eye this transfer window , and appear ready to put up a serious fight for the Scudetto , not least because of their military style new away kit . The departure of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain has been offset with some interesting arrivals , particularly Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid , for whose signature Napoli resisted competition from Arsenal , and the experienced manager Rafael Benitez . The comparative lack of cash in the Italian game has had one positive knock-on effect , however -- the development of young players . `` There are so many technically gifted , very talented young Italian players in Serie A now , '' says Foot , `` which is the opposite to what 's going on with English players in the Premier League . `` You can see the benefit of that in the Italian national side , which is very strong and will definitely be challenging for honors at the World Cup . '' Italy also continues to be a production line for managers , with many -- such as Carlo Ancelotti and Gianfranco Zola -- plying their trade successfully outside Italy , but plenty more are coming through the ranks . `` They are always hugely knowledgeable about the game and highly technical '' , says Foot . Richardson also points to a new more attacking outlook that has taken hold , consigning the cliche of defensive `` Catenaccio '' to history . `` There are managers in Serie A with much more attacking philosophies now , '' enthuses Richardson . `` Rudi Garcia ( who has joined Roma from Lille ) is another one in that mold . There 's also a commitment to good technical football and tactical excellence that marks the league out . '' While many European leagues have become rather predictable , Serie A also appears to be regaining its competitive edge . In the 90s the Italian league boasted seven teams that would routinely challenge for the title , known as `` Le Sette Sorelle , '' or `` The Seven Sisters '' -- Milan , Inter , Juve , Roma , Lazio , Parma , and Fiorentina . Richardson can see the coming years being similarly open . `` We might not be quite back to those days yet , '' he says , `` but you can make a case that we 're getting there -- with Napoli and Udinese perhaps replacing Lazio and Parma . `` That makes the league really open , and arguably a lot more exciting than say Spain , or even Germany . '' As for this year 's competition , Juve -- who have added Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente to their attacking armory -- are firm favorites , but other teams will certainly be interesting to watch . `` Inter may have a long hard season ahead of them ; the new ownership there has pulled the handbrake on transfers at a time when they really need investment , '' says Richardson , `` but Napoli are very interesting , and there 's a lot of potential at Milan . `` They have some good young players and the return of Nigel De Jong will help shore them up defensively . `` Fiorentina have a really talented and exciting midfield , and Mario Gomez is potentially a fantastic asset to add to that , not to mention the return of Giuseppe Rossi . Those two could make them pretty formidable going forward . '' The days of Serie A sitting at the pinnacle of European football may be in the past , but it is clear that reports of its death have been exaggerated . With its mix of youth , new signings , unrivaled technical ability and the inevitable soap opera off the pitch , we could instead be in for a vintage season of Italian football .
Italy 's Serie A kick off on Sunday . Champions Juventus away at Sampdoria on season 's opening day . Italian football has a number of problems in recent years . Authorities have struggled in fight against racism .