Napoli coach Sarri opposes reduction of Serie A teams

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Seasons need to be better planned to deal with the workloads of international fixtures, Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said on Tuesday, rather than reducing the number of teams in Serie A.

Italian FA president Carlo Tavecchio and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri are among those who would like to cut the number of teams in Italy soccer’s top flight. However, Sarri pointed out that such a cull would stifle the growth of the sport.

"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 ahead of his team's Champions League match against Eredevisie team Feyenoord.

Inter Milan vs Genoa at the San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy, September 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"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.

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.

(Cover photo: Napoli's coach Maurizio Sarri /Reuters Photo)

Source(s): Reuters