Italian Soccer President Provides Update On Serie A Structure After Napoli Chairman Suggests 16-Team League

Serie A President, Ezio Simonelli, has commented on the possibility of lowering the number of teams in the division from 20 to 16.

Will Serie A Have 16 Teams?

The Serie A is regarded as one of the most historic leagues in soccer history, playing host to some of the best teams, players and managers of all-time.

Currently, Italy’s top division ranks third for most Champions League triumphs, as Serie A sides have won Europe’s elite competition 12 times, while La Liga sits top with 20 and the Premier League has produced 15 winners.

However, the focus is now on Serie A as a domestic competition and the league has seen plenty of changes across the years – primarily involving the number of teams in Italy’s top division.

In 2004, Serie A became a 20-team league, following the likes of La Liga and the Premier League, however, Italy’s top-flight has also been made up of 18-teams (1952 to 1967 & 1988 to 2004) and even 16 (1967 to 1988).

With 20 teams taking up the slots in Serie A for over two decades, many fans believed that there would never be a return to a 16-team or 18-team league, however, this has idea has now resurfaced in recent days.

Following Romelu Lukaku’s injury, leaving Napoli with a list of strikers as possible replacements before the transfer deadline, Aurelio De Laurentiis (Napoli’s Chairman) suggested the idea to help players avoid major injuries due to less matches.

Aurelio De Laurentiis said: “I hope for a Serie A slimmed down to 16 teams, like in 1986, to prevent the players themselves, who are the assets of the clubs, from wearing out and losing value.”

Obviously this was met with severe backlash from supporters, as soccer fans tend to go against change and are used to the 20-team, 38 game league seasons.

Reverting back to a 16-team league would bring a host of changes and require multiple adjustments across Italy’s divisions, making the idea more difficult than it appears.

Ezio Simonelli, Serie A President, revealed that changing the 20-team league table would not only be a complex issue for Italian soccer, but also for leagues across Europe.

The Serie A President said: “Reducing the number of teams is a complex issue, however, one that doesn’t just involve Serie A, but should involve all professional football.

“The leagues are interconnected, so it could only happen with a reform of the Federation. In Spain and England, there are 20 teams, in France and Germany, 18, proving that there is no magic solution.

“Regarding rights, I’ll rely on the experience of those who know more than me. We’re satisfied with how we’re selling rights in Italy with the agreements with DAZN and Sky. We need to improve the marketing of rights abroad.”

Is Serie A The Oldest League In Europe?

Looking into the initial origins of Europe’s top five leagues is difficult, as the divisions have re-branded and taken different names throughout the years.

For example, the Premier League first came to light in 1992 and began after teams broke away from ‘England’s First Division’ which was founded in 1888.

However, we’re looking into the leagues as they are now and the Serie A is one of the oldest soccer leagues from Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A).

Founded in 1929, Italy’s top-flight has become a powerhouse in Europe, hosting the likes of Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and R9.

Winning the Scudetto is the biggest prize in Italy, winning the Serie A golden boot is a huge accolade for players and managers have made their names from performances in Italy.

Serie A is not alone in the overall rankings for the oldest soccer division, as La Liga was also founded in 1929 and is actually the oldest, beginning in February whereas Serie A began in October.

As for the Bundesliga Germany’s top division began in 1963 and was created to assert a leading league as soccer in Germany was regional initially.

France’s top division has gone through multiple re-brands, debuting as ‘Division Nationale in 1932, before changing to ‘Division 1’ in 1972 and then making its last switch to ‘Ligue 1’ in 2002.