Lorenzo Casini, the president of Serie A, provided updates on several key issues facing Italian football, including the rescheduling of the postponed Bologna-Milan match and the possibility of playing league games abroad.
Speaking on the radio show “Radio Anch’io Sport,” Casini announced that the Bologna-Milan game, originally scheduled for last Saturday but postponed due to severe weather, will be played in February 2025. “The exact date will be determined based on the results of the Coppa Italia and European cup competitions,” Casini explained.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the postponement, particularly Milan’s complaints about player suspensions, Casini stood firm: “There was an ordinance from a public authority (the mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore). There is established jurisprudence on this, whereby an authority’s ordinance cannot be disregarded by the sports world.”
Casini also touched on the congested football calendar, stating, “Even with an 18-team league, nothing would have changed. In the last twenty years, we’ve always had 20 teams, but the problem is that competitions for national teams have increased, like the Nations League. Plus, European matches have increased with new formats, and the calendar has become congested.”
Regarding the possibility of playing Serie A matches abroad, Casini was skeptical: “It’s unlikely to happen. The issue of fans would become even more significant.” He did, however, defend the decision to hold the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, describing it as “an opportunity to make ourselves known outside of Italy” while acknowledging fans’ disappointment.
On the topic of the new Club World Cup starting in 2025, Casini commented, “I believe the fans of the teams involved are happy. I feel that in the era of calendar congestion, national team matches weigh more heavily.”
Finally, Casini addressed Carlo Ancelotti’s recent suggestion about player rest: “I would consider his proposal to give a sort of rotation with holidays during the championship to some players. I don’t know how provocative it was, but it’s worth considering with the players themselves.”
