Parma financial situation alarms Juventus president Andrea Agnelli

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli has once again expressed concern at the state of Italian football, saying that the situation at Parma is symptomatic of problems many other clubs are only just managing to keep under control.

In an interview with Germany's Die Zeit newspaper, Agnelli questioned how Parma had managed to get a licence to play in Serie A this season if the authorities were already aware that they did not have the finances to complete the campaign.

Wages have not been paid since last July and the club face a winding-up order on March 19. Two takeovers in the space of just a few months have failed to resolve the club's ills, yet Agnelli is astounded it managed to get this far.

"This case is just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "In the past four years, tens of clubs have faced bankruptcy and the situation has now become worse. The fact that a club can make it this far is down to bad management of Italian football.

"Somebody still has to explain to me how Parma, who were refused a licence to play in the Europa League by UEFA last spring, were permitted so easily to carry on playing in Serie A."

Parma finished sixth last season, but they saw their place in Europe refused due to financial irregularities. They had no problems receiving a licence to play in Serie A, though, and Agnelli says this just makes Italian football lack credibility.

"When you hear about doping, match fixing or the issue with Parma, I always think of what sort of an image we are sending out to England, Germany, France and Spain," Agnelli continued. "I'm not worried about what Italy thinks of Italy, but I am worried about what the others think of us."

Things are set to get worse before they get better, though, with Parma's destiny yet to be decided.

Their current president Giampietro Manenti had promised all outstanding wages would have been paid by Feb. 16, yet almost a month later, there is still no sign of that money.

"The money was there, and it still is, but guarantees are needed," Manenti told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "I can't throw other people's money away. If [Parma] are declared bankrupt on March 19, then my investment ends up in the trash can."

Manenti insists he did make the payments prior to a deadline imposed by the players last month, but for some reason, they did not arrive.

He said: "At eight in the evening of the 16th, the payments had been made onto the accounts of our staff by the Monte Paschi bank. On Tuesday morning, they had been cancelled. I have no idea [why]. I called the headquarters in Siena, in Bologna, the foreign affairs office, but nobody gave me an explanation."

Manenti therefore believes he is at the centre of a conspiracy with Italian Football Association president Carlo Tavecchio and the mayor of Parma Federico Pizzarotti intent on removing him from the Emilia-Romagna club.

"They act as if they are part of the club, so if they are, why don't they produce some money?" he asked. "Tavecchio has guaranteed that there is an American fund willing to invest in Parma, yet he does not intend to talk to me. Fine, but Parma are mine. They don't own the club so what negotiations do they want to lead?"

The Serie A club will find out next Thursday whether they will get to the end of the season or not. In the event of bankruptcy being declared, Tavecchio says plans are in place for a parachute payment due on relegation being paid in advance to ensure they can still play their games between now and the end of the season.