Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has called for radical reforms to Italian football, including shrinking Serie A to 16 teams, following the Azzurri’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Aurelio De Laurentiis has proposed a drastic restructuring of Italian football after Italy’s playoff loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Napoli President argued that reducing Serie A to 16 teams would alleviate player fatigue and provide more time for national team training.
“Sixteen teams, fewer matches, more time to train the national team,” he stated, while also calling for the abolition of international Supercups.
Beyond league size, De Laurentiis insisted on financial changes regarding international duty.
He demanded that national federations provide clubs with “compensating clubs for players called up to the national team and full insurance coverage in case of injury.”
Supporting Giovanni Malagò as a potential replacement for FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, he suggested that such leadership could make Italian football “strong again within a couple of years.”
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