In the wake of Federico Macheda’s remarkable debut
display for Manchester United on Sunday, Lazio president Claudio
Lotito has called for Italian clubs to be afforded more protection
regarding their young talents.
Macheda inscribed his name into the national consciousness with
a wonderful winning goal in injury time of the five-goal thriller
against Aston Villa, taking just 30 minutes of professional
football to open his account for United.
While his crucial input into United’s title challenge has made
unexpected headlines in England, the Lazio staff are well aware of
the player’s potential having seen him lured away from their youth
setup aged just 16 in September 2007.
The manner of Macheda’s departure is hardly novel – United and
their Premier League rivals have frequently exploited contractual
laws across the continent to recruit the finest young talents
available and indeed Sir Alex Ferguson signed another young
Italian, David Petrucci, from Lazio’s great rivals Roma in
June.
Now Lotito is adamant that changes must be made to the current
system that affords Premier League clubs the opportunity to sign
players from abroad at the age of 16.
"We tried in every way to stop Manchester United from taking
away our player but the present Italian regulations don't give you
any type of defence," said Lotito.
"In reality we find ourselves in front of a proper cattle
market.
"I talked repeatedly with Macheda's parents, we established a
dialogue, but it was not possible to do anything.
“We could not compete with United's offer. That is not right, we
have to be provided with more reliable and concrete rules than
those which govern Italian clubs."
Uefa president Michel Platini has declared his strong opposition
to players moving abroad at such a young age and previously
instructed the European Commission to address the matter.
