April 20 – Serie A has shelved ambitious plans to organise a tournament in the United States during this year’s World Cup using players not called up by their national sides.
With Qatar hosting the World Cup from November 21 to December 18, European leagues will have to take a prolonged break during their domestic seasons.
Under plans unveiled in February, Serie A was looking to organise a special tournament in Orlando, involving all of the league’s 20 clubs and were lobbying hard at national and regional federation level to get approvals to play.
The tournament was slated to begin a week after the start of the World Cup and to include group stages followed by knockout matches from the quarterfinals.
Italy’s elimination from the World Cup would have potentially provided even more players for the tournament and kept the players match-fit during the five-week mid-season lay off.
But with financial returns uncertain, broadcasters already committed to Qatar 2022 and less than universal international support for the tournament, the idea was reportedly scrapped after an internal meeting last week.
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