On the day when the clash on the Super League between Juventus, Real and Barcelona and Uefa is rekindled with very harsh tones, the Serie A League launches the new formula of the Italian Cup, a little correct compared to the first version of the reform to leave at least 4 Lega Pro teams on the pitch. Excluding the Serie D teams. The president of the National Amateur League speaks of “elitist reform”.
Super League issue
After the news of the official opening of a disciplinary procedure by Uefa, the three clubs that are still formally part of the project have released a note in which “they express their refusal against the insistent coercion, exercised by Uefa against three of the most important institutions in the history of football. This worrying behavior constitutes a clear violation of the decision. The opening of disciplinary proceedings is incomprehensible and represents a direct attack on the rules of the law that the citizens of the European Union have democratically established, and constitutes a lack of respect for the same authorities of the courts of justice ”.
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EU Court of Justice and Uefa monopoly
The three clubs recall that “from the beginning, the Super League was promoted with the aim of improving the situation of European football, through constant dialogue with UEFA and with the aim of increasing the interest in sport, offering fans the best possible show. This objective must be achieved in a context of sustainability and solidarity, in particular in the precarious economic situation that is currently affecting many European clubs. Instead of exploring ways to modernize football through open dialogue, UEFA is demanding that the ongoing legal proceedings that challenge its monopoly on European football be withdrawn. Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid, clubs with over a century of history, will not accept any kind of coercion or intolerable pressure, and remain firm in their will to discuss, in a respectful way and through dialogue, the urgent solutions of which football needs right now. Either football is reformed or we risk seeing its decline ».
Super Cup Italy
Meanwhile, the Lega Serie A Council has unanimously approved the new formula of the Italian Cup which will start next season. The revolution will be only partial: the new format will see the participation of teams from Serie A (20 clubs), Serie B (20 clubs) and even Lega Pro (4 clubs). The tournament includes a tennis-type scoreboard made up of 40 teams: 36 entered directly and 4 from a preliminary round that will involve 8 formations. All 6 rounds of the event will take place in a single match with the exception of the semifinals. “The new formula fully satisfies us, we have reduced the concentration of matches for the players, increased competitiveness from the first rounds and guaranteed the participation of the 3 leagues professional teams including the best Lega Pro formations »commented the President of Lega Serie A Paolo Dal Pino. “The decision of Lega Serie A goes in the direction of a participation of all professional leagues in a competition that represents the history of football in our country” underlines the president of Lega Serie B Mauro Balata. «A positive agreement that immediately reopens the Serie C and keeps the door open for the future to a reform project. Thinking in a system is the main way to reform Italian football »declared the President of the Lega Pro Francesco Ghirelli.
Amateurs out
“We have been witnessing the most diverse stances against an elitist vision of football for weeks, but precisely at this juncture a reform is born that minimizes the participation of Lega Pro clubs but above all denies access to the national trophy to those of the Serie Q. It doesn’t seem like a systematic reasoning to me if this is the consideration reserved for amateur football ». These are the words of the president of the National Amateur League, Cosimo Sibilia, regarding the new formula of the Italian Cup launched today by the Lega Serie A Council which definitively excludes Serie D clubs from participating.