Italian football reform tabled

A proposal to shake up the Italian Serie A and which could lead to the end of city derbys was on Friday given a cool reception by Italian football officials.

The president of the League of Italian Professional Football Clubs Adriano Galliani on Friday unveiled proposals to reform the country's first and second division format from next season.

Under the proposals a Serie A of 40 clubs, divided into two groups of 20 teams and which would compete in separate autumn championship, would be created.

The Scudetto (national title) would be awarded following a final over one leg and which would be played on neutral ground between the winners of each group.

The groups would be made up of the 18 first division teams, the 20 second division and two third division clubs with the teams selected based on the results of the previous season.

Geographical factors would no longer be a factor, thus potentially spelling the end of matches between teams from the same city, such as Lazio and AS Roma (both Rome) and Inter v AC Milan.

However the proposal has received a cool reception from Italian football bosses.

"It's all talk. The final decision is with us," said Italian football federation president Franco Carraro.

Italy's Under Secretary of State for Sport Mario Pescante was firmly against the reform proposals.

"I am not only against it, but completely against it," Pescante told a meeting at Todi in the centre of the country. "From what I have read, it seems to me in complete opposition to what we are doing right now to solve football's problems."

Federation vice-president Giancarlo Abete confirmed that the proposals would be discussed during the next meeting of the federal council on February 14, but admitted that the plans "don't seem to be very advanced."