ROME – Serie A clubs have voted to stay with the 20-team format after a general assembly meeting on Monday, Serie A said.  

 Sixteen clubs voted against the proposal to reduce Serie A to an 18-team league like the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. However, four of the “big” teams in the league - Inter, Juventus, Roma, and Milan - voted for this suggestion.

 The decision to remain with the current format was welcomed by most teams, but the four heavyweights criticised the outcome of the vote.

 Speaking on RAI Radio 1, the President of AC Milan, Paolo Scaroni explained “we want to avoid too many matches. We play too many games.” He also cited the “unbearable” schedule as “the cause of so many injuries.” The four teams, especially Juventus and AC Milan, have suffered this season with several key players injured, including Juventus’s Moise Kean, AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori and Roma’s Tammy Abraham.

 The four teams also expressed concern over the number of games due to a new Champions League format coming into place from the 2024-2025 season. This will see 36 teams participate instead of the current 32, and teams will play a minimum of eight games instead of the current six. These two extra match days will mean that the Champions League group stages will finish in January instead of December. 

 Other club presidents have criticised the quartet, including the president of Torino, Urbano Cairo, who said the four teams had “the wrong attitude” and “a lack of mutual respect.”

 Despite this setback, the four clubs have expressed that they will continue to push for this reform and plan to speak to the Italian Football Association.

 Serie A previously consisted of 18 clubs until the 2004 season when the league changed to its current format.