Milan U23 is officially the sixtieth club to take part in the 2024/2025 Serie C championship. This was announced by the Federal Council which took place today in Rome at the FIGC offices. Here is the official text with which the second Rossoneri team is welcomed to the Lega Pro: “Following the non-admission of Ancona to the 2024/25 Serie C championship, which resulted in a vacancy in the staff to be filled, it is having having received a positive opinion from Covisoc and the Infrastructure Commission regarding the repechage request, the Federal Council voted for the admission of Milan U23”.
And at the end of the same Federal Council, the president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravinahe spoke like this at the press conference: “The Federal Council was convened to close a 2023 budget which outlines important numerical data, but I also like to underline the great activity to make some situations grow. We broke the production record in a season without European or World Championships. The value of production arises from a series of important federal political choices, there has been significant growth before everyone’s eyes. There have been important investments in perspective, in terms of digitalisation and in projects in which we are investing, such as women’s football We have approved the change to the format of the women’s A and B championships, all of this represents our sensitivity towards the development of women’s football. We have integrated the staff of the professional championships into Lega Pro after the non-admission of Ancona and we welcome a change. another second team, this is a great success also because the staff of all the championships are complete on 27 June and a calendar can already be structured without having to refer to conflicting or judicial issues. We have approved some principles that kick off an electoral season for all leagues, we have completed this process by also approving all calendars from A to amateurs. The most significant regulatory change concerns changes to avoid violations of contribution payments, we have shortened the times or if we want to say we have given certainty of the times in ten days for Covisoc and reduced the times for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office by a third. Today we approved the principle of relegation for the second teams, today the project was remodeled to avoid distorting situations on the second teams project. There was no possibility of relegation, now we will only need to regulate the concrete issue, we will organize a short-term table to establish all the rules. We need to understand how everything can be harmonized in light of the new sports employment contract.”
How did you experience Zaccagni’s goal and those moments immediately after the draw with Croatia?
“I repeat what has been said in the last 4-5 years, sporting results are not achieved with a single reality and a single moment but are achieved with projects and work. Our team must make up for some objective shortcomings with the involvement of all the components of the world of football. When you win we all win together and the same thing happens when you lose. The goal represents a moment of great liberation and I’m happy for the boys, I’ll join them tomorrow and see how they work. We made an important choice with a great coach, we have a great technical staff and an extraordinary organization. In the end, just one second in the 98th minute can change the fate of a match and we have to take note of this. With Austria our fate changed for a few centimeters in the 2021 European Championship, it changed for a penalty against Spain and for a few centimeters and a save from Gigio. I really like the idea of having a project to follow, we are the only Federation that has qualified for all the final stages of the youth national teams, the Under 17s are champions after 126 years. Spalletti is a serene coach, he is Spalletti, he is like that. He knows when to raise the level of attention, if he feels particularly calm he will inject himself with the poison. I see him as calm, very applied and for me his dedication is a huge surprise. He is so applied from seven in the morning until late at night, he is a perfectionist, he loves his job and I have never seen coaches like that.”
Were you aware of today’s amendment?
“We were not aware, we learned this morning. It is not a slap in the face to me, there is no personal issue here, I represent an institution. I have the duty to defend the Federation and I will do so until the end, from 2018 and as long as I am here I will do so. The decree law on the agency, first Covisoc then with the transformation into an agency, I expressed my doubts and I do not think I was wrong given that there are suppressive and modifying amendments by the majority itself. Here there is no personal war, there is an idea to obtain the best conditions for Italian sport. I live this amendment with the same serenity of mind, it is a provocation and it must be given the weight it deserves, there are principles in the CONI statute and in the statutes of the Federations, there are reflections to be transferred to an international level and then those rules must be applied. I say this calmly, if one thinks that Italian sport weighs on economic value I would be very worried. If we believe that Italian football or sport should be evaluated only for its economic weight, then all the other dimensions would be mortified. The world of volunteering deserves more respect, but I leave this to the evaluations of the Italian parliament. I will defend the prerogatives of Italian football and sport to the end”.