Over the weekend, Lazio owner Claudio Lotito caused a bit of a ruckus in Italy when he claimed that TV companies would refuse to pay for rights if Serie A included smaller clubs like Frosinone, Latina or Carpi.

The Premier League's record €5Bn rights deal has shed light on issues in other countries and football writer Gabriele Marcotti sees Lotito's response as absurd.

Speaking to Off The Ball, he said: "To put it into context, it's like if Richard Scudamore (Premier League chief executive) is ringing up the guy in charge of the Football League and saying 'I got freaking Burnley in the top flight. I don't want to see Bournemouth or Brentford or any more of these tiny teams coming up'. It's a complete absurdity. It's downright offensive to people who think that football's not just about big teams."

Listen to the full European football review via the Football Show podcast.