'Serie A will go on strike, if...'

By Football Italia staff

Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo has warned UEFA that his League will go on strike if a ‘Super Champions League’ comes to fruition.

Plans are allegedly afoot for the Champions League and Europa League to be scrapped in favour of a set-up with promotion, relegation and no direct access from domestic Leagues.

“No-one is against change, but the reform proposed doesn’t make for a serene future of the big European Leagues, whose revenues would be halved, and it would make our Leagues irrelevant as they wouldn’t have access to European competitions and would become little more important than a national cup,” De Siervo told Radio Anch’io Sport.

“I hope reform can be amended, otherwise it would lead to a clash that hurts all of football. It’s a battle for money, access to large TV revenue.

“Today the Champions League has a turnover of around €3bn. The three most important leagues invoice six: it’s unthinkable that the cake will get bigger.

“UEFA is trying to take revenue from Leagues that have the most turnover. In fact, European first, second and third tiers would be born, which would not only involve the super-rich clubs but also the smaller federations that support UEFA.

“I still have faith in the reasonability of Ceferin and Agnelli, those who manage our game, otherwise we’ll be ready to take initiatives and even strike against reform that can cause wide-bearing social trauma and allow the big clubs in the Champions League to poach from other teams, widening the gap between rich and poor.”

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