ROME - Not for the first time, a stadium is at the heart of a row in Serie A. Old, unfriendly and unclean for the most part, the grounds of Italian football's top flight resemble more the stadiums of Europe's lower leagues than those of a soccer superpower.

The latest argument has erupted in Sardinia, where Cagliari have been punished for advising their season ticket holders to attend a recent game against AS Roma that had been meant to be held behind closed doors.

As a result of Cellino's idiotic announcement inviting fans to the ground, the authorities cancelled the game and awarded a 3-0 win to Roma. More depressingly for the fans, this was at a time when Daniele De Rossi, Francesco Totti and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo – three of the capital side's top players – were all unable to play due to injury.

It's been a tough time of late for the Sardinians, who last year left their traditional home, the Stadio Sant'Elia, after a disagreement between the local council – who own the ground – and Cagliari President Massimo Cellino. In a ridiculous move that is, unfortunately, also typical of Serie A, the islanders played their final games of the 2011-2012 season over 1,000km away, in Trieste.

The Rossoblu relocated to the Stadio Is Arenas for the 2012-2013 season, which has undergone extensive renovation. The stadium was shut to supporters for the game against Roma because authorities feared that the safety upgrades being made to accommodate a Serie A side were not yet complete, but Cellino insisted they were, and so posted an
open invitation on the club's website, defying the authorities and displaying a shocking lack of respect for crowd safety.

This would be a heavy accusation at any time, but it is all the more condemnable now, just weeks after lengthy investigation in the UK finally revealed the causes – and subsequent cover-up – relating to the tragic deaths of 96 fans at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. If ever there was a time for a club to respect regulations and pay special attention to safety, it was now, as journalists from around the world pour over the causes and effects of one of football's worst catastrophes.

Even after renovation it's hard to imagine an English, German or Spanish side playing in the top leagues in the Is Arenas, as three quarters of its seats are located in temporary, scaffolded stands. And in that way, it's indicative of the malaise affecting Italian football.

Of all the peninsula's major clubs, just Juventus own their arena, a newly constructed gem that follows the tradition of the British stadium, putting fans close to the pitch without barriers and with plenty of comfort. Away from Turin, only Milan's Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and Rome's Stadio Olimpico could be considered world class, and even they lack many modern comforts.

Most Serie A sides have had their stadium situation under scrutiny in recent years. In the capital, Lazio's unpopular president Claudio Lotito is constantly locking horns with the Italian Olympic Committee, CONI, over the cost of using the Olimpico and last year even attempted to register the Biancocelesti in Florence's Stadio Artemio Franchi, much to the chagrin of supporters and the Lega Serie A.

The Aquile's crosstown rivals, meanwhile, have been promising a new, club-owned stadium to their fans since long before the sale to the current american owners. Despite not having the money or the site, architect's plans were even drawn up and support was promised from the city's mayor. An announcement on the project's future had been promised in September, but perhaps unsurprisingly has not been made.

Without their own, modern and attractive grounds, its hard to see how Italy's clubs can continue to compete with Europe's elite. Sides like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Barcelonaall earn vast sums from their large grounds, sums which are then re-invested in the squads. TV pictures of the full arenas also cast those leagues in
favourable light, while the empty, creaking stadiums of Italymake for poor viewing.

Italy's top sides will continue to persevere, of course. But what's less certain is the futures of sides like Sardinia's Cagliari.
Existence is often a perilous balancing act for the Italy's smaller clubs, and they least of all can afford scandals such as the recent mess-up at the IS Arenas.

Had the game in Sardiniagone ahead, it surely would have provided the struggling Islanders with an opportunity to record their first win of the season. Instead, it's thrown the spotlight on them during a time of poor results and incredible pressure. Currently, they sit on a lowly two points and are outside of the relegation zone only by virtue of the fact that AC Siena started their campaign in Serie A with a six-point deduction.

It's all a very long way from Cagliari's only Scudetto win in 1970, when Gigi Riva & Co. delighted fans in the packed Stadio Sant'Elia.

Now, on top of the technical loss and the embarrassment, further sanctions are expected for the Sardinian side, and the president has even handed himself a pre-emptive suspension. Only in Italy.