Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Napoli coach Sarri opposes reduction of Serie A teams

Italian FA president Carlo Tavecchio and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri are among those who would like to cut the number of teams in Italy’s top flight.

Napoli coach Sarri opposes reduction of Serie A teams
(Reuters)

However, Sarri pointed out that such a cull would stifle the growth of the sport and a better solution would be to streamline the international fixture programme.

"An 18-team league has the pro of reducing the number of games and the con of taking away a dream from many cities, reducing the number of potential football fans in the long term," Sarri said on the eve of the match in which both Napoli and Feyenoord will be looking for their first group phase victory this season.

"I think we should blame the national team (for the crammed calendar as we should) find a specific window during the year when the national teams play... and the rest of the season some time should be given to clubs because this would give more quality to the games."

Sarri's views are in contrast to Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who said on Friday that a 16-team Serie A with just one relegation spot would make the league more competitive.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

In 1988 Serie A expanded to 18 teams before increasing to the current 20 in 2004.

Tavecchio said on Monday that he hopes to find a "reasonable solution" to cut the number of teams in Italy's professional leagues in three to four years.

Tavecchio told Italian radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento that he will start discussion at the beginning of 2018 with the leagues and the professionals involved.

He suggested last month as well that it could be possible to achieve a reduction of two teams in each of Italy's professional leagues within three years.

(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdynia, editing by Pritha Sarkar)


2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world