Pordenone, the case: fight for B but is in bankruptcy due to debts

A bomb on the Serie C playoffs, which on Saturday have the first leg of the second round of the national phase scheduled with the entry into the scene of the last big names, i.e. the three runners-up. Among these is Pordenone, against which a bankruptcy petition has been filed. Let’s say it right away: the holding of the B play-offs with the participation of Mimmo Di Carlo’s team is not in question (if not for the psychological consequences of the story on the team), if anything, the concern for the future of the club of president Mauro Lovisa is serious. Whatever the playoffs go.

The instance

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Raffaele Tito, Public Prosecutor of Pordenone, confirmed the request adding that “the debt situation is such that even with the hypothesis of a promotion to Serie B things would not change”. In other words: it is true that revenues are increasing in B, but costs are also higher (the history of the club itself confirms this) and in any case the current situation is so serious that even saving as much as possible would not find the solution. Pordenone’s 2022 budget, already approved, records a loss of 6.75 million, increased by 2.93 million compared to 2021, when the team was in B. In particular, a debt with the Revenue Agency of 7.6 million, which however the company should have paid in installments in December until 2027 thanks to the Salvacalcio regulation, so much so that this season there have been no penalties due to debts with the tax authorities. The figure for shareholders’ equity also stands out, going from 2.4 million to a liability of 1.3. However, the 2022 data refer to last season, when the team was in B: relegated (and having in any case set up a competitive team) revenues decreased sharply in the face of costs that remained high.

The future

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Once the application has been presented, the hearing at the Bankruptcy Court will take place shortly. It is not the first case of failure in the running, in the world of football. One thing is the collapse of the company, another is the sports title, which could be saved with a complicated procedure and the intervention of new investors, provided that the FIGC approves the desperate maneuver. The situation is absolutely complicated and now any consideration could be premature. But a certain problem is the timing. The deadline for obtaining the national license and registering for the next championship is June 20: in these conditions, with a pending bankruptcy (and certainly that day already official), no company would obtain it. For this reason, regardless of how the playoffs will go, Pordenone’s future is only black.