Despite Italy's World Cup triumph, fewer and fewer fans are attending Serie A matches, according to a study conducted by the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
Average gates in Italy's top flight have crashed to just 19,511 this season, the ninth consecutive year that has witnessed a fall.
Back in 1998, the average attendance figure was as high as 31,161, but a combination of factors over the past decade has seen the numbers slump by 11,650 over an eight-year period.
League officials were hoping that the Azzurri's win in Germany over the summer would give the figures a much-needed boost this year, but the Calciopoli scandal, and the subsequent demotion of Juventus to Serie B, seems to have put people off.
Indeed, the relegation of the Old Lady - one of the world's most popular clubs - explains much for the decline in the top flight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Serie B attendance figures have jumped 20.3%.
But the general trend over the past ten years cannot be passed off so easily. Increased levels of violence at matches, old and decrepit stadiums, expensive ticket prices and the quality of television coverage in Italy have all contributed to fans staying away.
Faced with a choice between watching a match, or several at the same time - on television in the comfort of their own homes and standing on the terraces with no cover from inclement weather whilst running the risk of attack from opposing fans, Serie A supporters are clearly in no doubt where they would rather be.
The study said that there was no sign of a similar fall in crowds in other major European leagues with attendances actually increasing in Spain and England.
The falling gates could also be blamed on the changing face of Italian football, more and more smaller clubs are now holding their own in the top flight, whilst a number of more traditional powerhouses - Genoa, Napoli, Verona and Bologna for example - find themselves languishing in Serie B.
Empoli, one of Serie A's smaller teams, had an average gate of just 6,725 last season, whilst Chievo pulled in 8,589 and Siena 9,874.
Gazzetta dello Sport report >>>
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