Lorenzo Casini, president of Lega Serie A, spoke this morning on Radio Anch'io Lo Sport. Many topics were addressed.
The postponement of Bologna - Milan.
"At the moment, Bologna - Milan is scheduled to be played in February. Regarding the postponement, there was an ordinance from the public authority that cannot be disregarded. We tried to engage in dialogue with the institutions to play behind closed doors, but that was not possible. Therefore, we worked on the idea of a neutral ground, which is not provided for in our regulations. It would have been an important novelty, but the available stadiums had a much lower capacity than Bologna's stadium. We strive to improve each time. One thing that has been discussed is to foresee an emergency neutral ground, a scenario that was not initially planned. There are aspects that need to be considered."
A return to 18 teams?
"In the specific case of Bologna-Milan, nothing would have changed. There are other important leagues with twenty teams, and in any case, the increase in recent years is due to the Nations League and the new Champions League. It's clear that the calendar has become congested."
On the Italian Super Cup with four teams, Casini said:
"The four-team format is not set in stone; it is decided year by year by the assembly. The contract is for six years, four of which are in Saudi Arabia, and the format is decided each time. The advantages of the four-team format, besides the economic aspect, include the opportunity to go abroad and make oneself known. Clubs see it as an opportunity. It's not just an economic issue; when the Super Cup was taken abroad, there was also a strong need for promotion outside national borders. The issue of fans is certainly important, so we are working to ensure travel and facilitate direct attendance. For the rest, we need to balance interests and see what happens in other contexts and sports. The NBA plays games in Europe, and that is now accepted."
Difficult schedules...
"It has come about according to a very simple logic: more matches and more revenue. If from many quarters, including coaches and players, it is said that there are too many games, we need to arrive at playing less, perhaps with a different distribution of schedules, maybe with greater simultaneous matches. It needs to be studied; I don't know how much fans appreciate having to watch matches so fragmented."
Inter - Juventus unusually at 18:00.
"The issue of time zones has had an impact. It was necessary to improve the international accessibility of certain matches. A Milan derby at 15:00 could be a possibility, but the fitting in these cases goes beyond "Tetris". It’s crazy dealing with the different needs that arise."
Asymmetric schedule... Casini replied:
"Some fans haven't even noticed, as there is a minimum limit for not facing each other again. We are trying to improve from the 2023/24 season regarding the advance notification of match times. It has revolutionised the lives of fans and clubs, reducing costs."
On League matches abroad...
"It’s an old issue; La Liga has pursued it, but in that case, the issue of fans becomes even more important. These are matters that need to be explored, but this will be hard to happen."
A split with FIGC president Gabriele Gravina?
"It is not a split between people; it is an institutional matter. A stronger and more present Serie A, more empowered, is good for everyone."
On referees and technology:
"Technology can be helpful; some are considering using artificial intelligence for certain contact situations or others. I hope the human presence remains, as the margin for evaluation is fundamental. Regarding VAR, I believe the possibility of a call should be evaluated, but it needs to be introduced intelligently. Today VAR can intervene on everything; if it becomes so, interventions will decrease unless activated. But the coach on the bench often has no idea whether that intervention should be called or not. A certain type of professionalism needs to be developed."
New format for the Champions League and also Club World Cup...
"The Super League had a completely different logic of assurance for certain clubs. In this sense, the new format has matches that are perhaps too unbalanced, especially at the beginning. We await the matchdays; the feeling is that it is a competition with progressive suspense; it is currently difficult to read the standings. There are already algorithms to understand the threshold for advancement. The last matchdays will be crucial. Regarding the Club World Cup, I believe the fans of the involved teams are happy. National teams weigh much more than a Club World Cup, one for numerical reasons regarding windows and because clubs are the employers of the players. For national teams, there is an increased chance that a much higher percentage of matches will be played. Ancelotti's proposed solution of having some sort of turnover with breaks during the league is something I don’t know how provocative or real it was, but it should also be assessed together with the players."
A balanced league? The Serie A president, Casini, commented:
"Even from pre-season, the return of Conte, and the fact that several clubs have strengthened, led to expectations. We haven't seen football like in Inter-Juventus for a long time, and it is certainly the best promotion that can be made for the league. More goals are better, even though we have a tradition of defensive solidity, but I was specifically talking about how they played."
