April 17 – In order to develop more young talent, Serie A clubs in Italy want their reserve teams to be allowed to play in the country’s lower leagues.
Under the proposal put to the national federation, Serie A would have a team for each of its clubs playing in the third and fourth tiers of Italian football.
Gazzetta Dello Sport reported on Saturday that Serie A clubs, conversely, were also drafting a proposal to increase the number of foreign players allowed from outside the European Union allowed from two to three.
Italian football has had serious problems with the development of its young players, with a recent Reuters report on football academies showing that many drop out of football altogether after leaving their club’s youth setup.
Discussions are already under way about establishing a reserve league for next season to be held on Monday nights. Former Milan midfielder and current vice president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Demetrio Albertini, said it was vital more opportunities are presented for young players.
“It’s important that the youngsters are valued,” he said. “We need to see if the youth players actually will play in the reserve league or if it’s just for the first team’s reserves.”
Milan have already started planning for a possible reserve league next season, having already asked Filippo Inzaghi, currently coaching the club’s Under-17s, to take charge.
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