Serie A, Casini: We’re working on new rules like flying changes

Lorenzo Casini, President of the Italian football league Serie A, has shed light on potential rule changes in the championship at a recent UniCamillus event.

Casini rejected the idea of reducing the number of Serie A teams due to their likeness to La Liga and Premier League, both of which constitute of 20 teams. “Decreasing the team count, hence the games, would mean less action for the big clubs,” stated the president. He suggested the focus should be on adjusting gameplay rules such as rolling substitutions, temporary replacements, and an increase in substitution count, predicting that in the short term the matches won’t decrease.

Casini also queried the sense in holding matches spaced from Monday to Friday, proposing a return to simultaneous fixture scheduling prevalent in the Premier League. Indirectly indicating a concern for young fans, he noted, “Kids get bored in ninety minutes, but they’d be happy if they could switch games.”

Furthermore, Casini touched on the problematic increase in both national and international competitions which leaves players with insufficient recovery time. He explained that a professional footballer requires approximately 96 hours to make a complete recovery post-match. However, this recovery time is rarely available. If the game continues as is, Casini warned, additionally strained muscles with no proportional recovery could lead to increased injuries. This highlighted the president’s concern for the players’ physical health and implications for the quality of the game.