The FIGC president on the sidelines of the Federal Council: “Our referees are excellent, I will discuss this with the League. From Folorunsho to Max, we campaign for fair play and then we spit on each other. Enough is enough!”
Gabriele Gravina cannot hide his surprise and disappointment at the choice of an Asian referee for Milan-Como, scheduled to take place in Perth: “The decision to play there is the prerogative of the Serie A League, and the FIGC has given its approval. The FIGC has not yet received anything,“ said the president in a press conference after the Federal Council meeting, ”but some thought needs to be given to the issue of the Asian referee, especially with regard to fair competition. I reserve the right to discuss this with the League. We know the caliber of many international referees compared to ours, who are excellent: the appointment of an Asian referee in a league match was neither expected nor predictable. I am not talking about illegality, but it is an exception to the rules that is different from what might be the case for a single event such as a Super Cup final.”
On the subject of referees, the president also commented on the referral of the president of the AIA, Antonio Zappi: “I am not worried, I am waiting for justice to take its course. He is calm, and I defer to the objective assessments of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. I would not equate the harmony of the refereeing world, which I care about particularly, with problems of a personal nature. We will create the conditions to protect our referees, who have done well even after this news.“
ON ALLEGRI— Gravina also commented on Allegri’s behavior towards Oriali yesterday in Napoli-Milan, who is likely to be fined by the Sports Judge: ”Embarrassing? We need to regain a sense of decorum. Those movements and attitudes on the bench are unwatchable. It’s a trend to appear more interesting. People mistakenly believe that the more they shout, the more they influence the referee’s decisions. It’s a question of culture rather than the results that can be achieved in terms of sanctions. In the end, there is only one loser, and that is soccer. This applies to everyone, to Folorunsho (referring to the insults to Hermoso in Cagliari-Roma, ed.), players, coaches, presidents, and fans. Enough with these constant attacks. We always talk about fair play and ethics, we print it on our jerseys, we run campaigns, and then we go out on the field and spit on each other. It’s not right.” .
ON THE WORLD CUP— Looking ahead to the coming year, the president says: “I hope it will be more peaceful. You all know my greatest wish… Apart from a slightly unfavorable draw for the second away game, the World Cup group is particularly manageable. All the conditions are in place to turn the page. The boys are committed, as is Gattuso, whom I recently met here in Via Allegri. We know we are the arbiters of our own destiny. We are in great shape and have maximum confidence and determination. We must fight tooth and nail for these two victories, with all the energy and means at our disposal. We have to go to America.“
ON NATIONAL LICENSES— ”Today we have made a definitive change,” said Gravina. In the policy of promoting young players, the categories that will be excluded from the Extended Labor Cost indicator, which can determine the so-called ‘market block’, have been defined for Lega B and Lega Pro: this involves a gradual reduction in the age limit for players eligible to play for the national team, Under 23 in 2026, Under 22 in 2027, and Under 21 in 2028. For Serie A, it had already been set at Under 23. In addition, in agreement with the Independent Commission for the Verification of Economic and Financial Balance, the deadline for submitting applications for registration in the professional leagues has been set for June 16.
SERIE C— Following the exclusion of Rimini, at the proposal of Lega Pro, the Council decided to reduce the number of relegations from 9 to 8 and to extend the playouts to the team at the bottom of the table if the gap between them and the penultimate team is less than 8 points. The fifth-last team in the standings will not participate in the playouts. It was then decided to use a multiplier coefficient in Serie C Group B (now with 19 teams) to be applied to the parameters for identifying the “best-ranked team” in order to ensure consistency in the application of the criteria.
BERETTA— The Federal Council, on the proposal of the president, also unanimously voted Mario Beretta as the new president of the technical sector to replace the resigning Demetrio Albertini.
