Free Broadcasts and a Smaller League: How Serie A Could Be Saved

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has proposed a bold reform for Serie A — reducing the league to 16 teams. And this idea actually makes more sense than it might seem at first glance.

Serie A originally featured 18 clubs, but De Laurentiis suggests going back to the 1986/87 format, when only 16 competed. This would help solve the issue of player overload, give Italian clubs a competitive advantage in European tournaments, and make matches between top sides rarer — and therefore more profitable. Meanwhile, commercially unviable fixtures would simply disappear.

De Laurentiis also called for a rethink of club ownership structures. He believes the league can only be revived if more hands-on owners like himself get involved. Today, Serie A is increasingly dominated by foreign investors, mostly Americans, who treat clubs as financial assets. As a result, profitability often comes before sporting integrity or fan interests.

Finally, to boost fan engagement, De Laurentiis appealed directly to the Italian Prime Minister, asking to make Serie A broadcasts free to watch, funded entirely through advertising. Alternatively, he suggested that clubs could sell not just regular stadium tickets, but also “virtual tickets” for fans to watch games together on giant public screens.

Published by Patrick Jane
30.10.2025