00:03The third division of Italian football, once a stronghold of local communities,
00:10It finds itself immersed in an unprecedented structural crisis.
00:13The cyclical repetition of bankruptcies, penalties, and exclusions of clubs,
00:18exemplified by the recent cases of Rimini and Trapani,
00:22It distorts the sporting integrity of the competition.
00:25Given this scenario, the proposal spearheaded by the president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina,
00:31to relegate Serie C to amateur championship status,
00:35It emerges not as a rebirth, but as a capitulation to chronic mismanagement.
00:40First and foremost, it is imperative to analyze the laboratory and legal impact of this transformation.
00:47By removing the professional status from the league,
00:49More than a thousand players and coaches would lose their contractual guarantees and labor protections.
00:56Furthermore, the proposal ignores Italian legal reality.
01:00which does not foresee a semi-professional role,
01:03forcing a radical transition that would result in the precariousness of the entire category.
01:08The rationale is to cool down the system and ease the tax burden on clubs.
01:13It masks the loss of identity and economic appeal that professionalization brings.
01:18Secondly, the political maneuvering behind the proposal.
01:22This highlights internal tensions within the federation.
01:25The pressure exerted by Gravina on the president of Lega Pro, Matteo Marani,
01:30suggests a centralized control mechanism,
01:33where league restructuring is used to weaken local leadership.
01:38The history of conflicts in the management of Italian football.
01:41This demonstrates that format changes rarely solve the underlying structural problems.
01:46often serving as smokescreens to maintain the status quo of inefficient management.
01:53Ultimately, the solution to the crisis in the Italian third division does not lie in amateurism.
01:58but in the implementation of strict standards and real oversight.
02:03The requirement for full financial guarantees,
02:06that cover the clubs' actual operating costs before the start of the season,
02:11These are crucial measures.
02:12Maintaining a fair competition depends on the capacity of the institutions.
02:17to prevent financial collapse,
02:20instead of downgrading the league to cover up its own regulatory failings.
02:24The chronic structural crisis of the Italian third division.
02:28It requires drastic and courageous measures to guarantee the sustainability of football.
02:33The definitive solution involves drastically reducing the number of professional clubs in Serie C.
02:39going from the current 60 clubs to just 20 teams,
02:43mirroring the structure of the A and B series.
02:46To ensure this transition occurs with the least possible negative impact,
02:50It is imperative that Lega Pro managers convene the clubs to decide together.
02:55The selection criteria are based on sporting merit and financial health.
03:00One initial alternative proposes that the composition of the new Series C
03:05be determined by the top 20 finishers from the previous edition.
03:09In the event of a strict tie in the technical tie-breaking criteria,
03:13a rigorous verification of the financial health of the clubs
03:17This should be the deciding factor for remaining in the professional field.
03:21Meanwhile, to mitigate the impact of the downgrade,
03:25It is suggested that Serie D be professionalized.
03:27In this proposal, the next 20 best clubs,
03:31from 21st to 40th place in the previous season,
03:35They would form a new professional Serie D.
03:37In this way, only 20 clubs would actually transition to amateurism.
03:42Another strategic alternative envisions that the 9 clubs of Serie D
03:46Those who earned promotion on the field will move up to Serie C.
03:50adding to the 11 best remaining from the previous season.
03:54to complete the group of 20 clubs.
03:56In this scenario, the new professionalized Serie D
03:59It would be composed of the 20 best-ranked clubs.
04:03among the remaining 49,
04:05based on sporting performance and economic stability.
04:09The remaining 29 clubs would be integrated into the amateur championship.
04:13The ultimate goal of this debate,
04:16among the managers of Italian football,
04:18It's about achieving a balanced pyramid.
04:20of 80 professional clubs from Serie A to Serie D.
04:25It is essential that the rules are pre-established and transparent.
04:29before the start of the season,
04:31aiming to protect, as far as possible,
04:34the interests of the players, staff, and fans involved.
04:3715.
04:41Thanks.
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