26 Aug 2009Italy's top flight set to form breakaway league

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Serie A and Serie B will become entirely separate entities under plans unveiled by Italian league officials this week.

The two divisions are currently managed together and the top-flight clubs make financial contributions to those in Serie B, but the new system would see the Serie A teams form a distinct competition for Italy's biggest sides.

According to reports, the proposal is based on the success of the English Premier League, which formed in 1992 after the First Division clubs agreed to break away from The Football League.

Maurizio Beretta, former head of Italy's employers' association, has been appointed as president of both Serie A and B, but the two leagues will operate as separate competitions.

Italian football officials are eager to re-establish the nation's domestic competition as a major force in European football, having seen it lose ground to the elite divisions in England and Spain in recent years.

Ongoing problems with hooliganism and the 2006 match-fixing scandal have also damaged the image of Italy's domestic league.

Manchester United were crowned champions in the inaugural season of the English Premier League, finishing ten points above Aston Villa with Norwich City in third place.

Written by Terry Mitchell

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