De Siervo: "Piracy and stadiums are a problem, but Serie A is evolving. A few matches abroad are fine."

MILAN – Referees' communications at the stadiums regarding VAR decisions, and Serie A's new TV channel. The fight against piracy, and the rebukes from UEFA's head of football Ceferin, who called the situation in Italian stadiums "disastrous." On the eve of the season's start, Luigi De Siervo, administrator of the Serie A League, outlines the season's developments. "Let's start with football. I expect a competitive championship, with no certainties, where the hierarchy could shift from day to day. Many teams can fight for the title until the very end. Napoli are the favorites, Inter are solid, Milan have strengthened, Juve are getting ready, and keep an eye on the others. As Ceferin said, it's the best European championship to follow because it's the one with the most uncertain outcome."

Your mandate began with the aim of transforming Lega Serie A into a media company. What stage are you at? “We've done most of the work. In Lissone, at our IBC, Iliad International Broadcaster Center, we produce all 423 live matches of the league, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana in four languages. We manage 22 of the League's social media accounts in eight languages, across different platforms.”

The Serie A League TV channel project on digital terrestrial? "We're ready. Starting this season, we'll be independent with our own radio and television channel. We ran it with RDS for two years, and starting this season, we'll do it ourselves. We have new studios, still in Lissone, and we've increased our investments. We'll soon announce some exciting programming updates. The strategic goal is to stay in touch with viewers 18 hours a day and best support DAZN, Sky, and Mediaset, with whom we certainly don't want to compete. However, it's essential to be ready with an independent editorial structure because the TV market is changing ever more rapidly."

What are you doing to combat piracy? "A great deal, starting this season also in collaboration with the Serie B League and the Lega Pro. It's crucial that people understand that there's a direct correlation between the league's financial performance—that is, its health—and the extent to which fans contribute to the well-being of their clubs by buying shirts, tickets, stadium hospitality, and TV season tickets. Italy is the worst offender; no other league in Europe has piracy as widespread as ours."

Specifically, will there be more fines? "The new development this season is that the Guardia di Finanza is starting to prosecute the thousands of private users caught watching matches illegally. The initial warning, let's call it a yellow card, is relatively mild, but repeat offenders face fines of up to five thousand euros. Criminal proceedings are already underway against resellers. The risk is serious, as demonstrated by France, where the TV rights system has failed partly due to piracy."

The number of foreign owners in Serie A is growing. Are there any pros and cons to this transformation? "The real advantage is that there's starting to be a sense of belonging to the League, and the particularisms and self-serving battles are fading. We work better and with more planning. Even though we're not yet the NBA, where presidents call each other partners. Foreign owners bring managerial skill. Among the Italian owners, there are still good entrepreneurs, especially skilled in the sporting side. It's a good mix."

A major issue last season was VAR. How do you feel about the referee explaining his decision at the stadium? "A positive and extremely important development, borrowed from the NFL. We've always worked for maximum transparency, pioneering Goal Line Technology, VAR, and semi-automatic offside detection. Unfortunately, this is a country where a segment of the public still booes the league anthem, believing their team—whoever it is—is penalized by the establishment. To dispel these common misconceptions, last year we launched Open VAR, a program produced with DAZN. Starting this year, we'll increase the number of replays broadcast on TV. We'll have to wait at least a year to be able to show replays on giant screens in stadiums. We'll get there."

And do you like the eight-second rule as the maximum time limit for goalkeeper throws? "Anything that speeds up the game is welcome. If football wants to compete with other sports for Generation Z, it must continue to innovate. Having a complex game structure, it must continually streamline and speed up to ensure, while respecting tradition, greater pace and spectacularity. FIFA plays a key role in these innovations."

Ceferin harshly criticized Italy for its stadium situation, citing Udine as an example. Is anything moving? "I couldn't agree more about Udine. The Bluenergy Stadium is a source of pride, and for that I thank the Pozzo family, as well as the local institutions. Looking at the national picture, unfortunately, we don't have any surprises. It was late in understanding what needs to be done to avoid losing the 2032 European Championship and preventing other matches from being awarded to Turkey. Michele Uva at UEFA is doing a tremendous job. It's crucial not to miss this opportunity to modernize our stadiums. It's positive that work has begun in Florence. We hope the situation in Milan will be resolved soon, as they deserve a stadium worthy of their clubs."

Isn't it inevitable that situations like Pisa, which will have to play in Cagliari because its stadium isn't suitable, will arise? "For newly promoted teams, it's normal for the necessary work to upgrade their facilities to continue even during the first two matchdays. We have three seasons ahead of us with work underway at various stadiums, but that's the price we have to pay, given that we have to complete in five years the work that hasn't been done in the last thirty years."

Are you convinced by the idea of ​​playing Milan-Como in Perth? "Let's leave the Perth issue aside, a sensitive topic for which we're currently negotiating. We're aware of the climate and time zone issues. But the idea of ​​playing abroad is inevitable. American sports, like cycling's Grand Tours, have been doing it for decades. Football must compete with other sports, and FIFA and UEFA have understood this. I don't see any scandal. The fans are crucial, both the Italians at home and the foreigners abroad."

Is Salvini right to say that stadiums without ultras are sad? "Football without fans doesn't exist, so I understand the Minister's reasons for intervention. But these are only the first aftershocks after the judicial earthquake, which dismantled a criminal network that held San Siro in check. Teams should never be subjected to blackmail, so much so that they are an injured party in this investigation, as is Serie A itself. We are optimistic that a new balance with fans can be found relatively quickly."

Cerignola-Verona is the talk of the town. Why not have the opening stages of the Coppa Italia played in the stadiums of the lowest-ranked team? "A compressed schedule, complicated logistics, and the difficulty of setting up the technological aspects—VAR, goal-line technology, and semi-automatic offside—on provincial pitches. For now, it's a technological issue, but we're working on it."

Don't you think the Coppa Italia format needs to be revisited? "Of course! We've already tried twice, but it's difficult. The English-style format was analyzed, but in the end, it was decided not to do it because television channels recognized the current format as much more valuable. But we need to overcome certain clichés: not even the smaller clubs consider it a good deal. In 2016, when Alessandria wanted to play AC Milan in Turin, and not at their stadium, to earn more money and attract more fans."

The TV rights market is shrinking across Europe. Is there a way to stem the haemorrhage, or is it impossible, as Rummenigge said ten years ago? "Kalle was right. We're in a stalemate that's difficult to reverse. Unfortunately, piracy is complicating the pay-TV business. Without legal action and fines that severely discourage pirates, making a profit from broadcasting sports events is increasingly difficult."

The introduction of the new Champions League and the Club World Cup have further heightened the issue of the battle between FIFA, UEFA, and the leagues over the calendar. Will the leagues ultimately lose out? "I hope not, because we are the essence of football, but we must continually compete with FIFA and UEFA for the calendar. It must be taken into account that part of the economic value the leagues lose is passed on to those who organize international tournaments, so the dual role of FIFA and UEFA—regulating bodies on the one hand and tournament organizers on the other—cannot be ignored."

Will we ever see a leaner Serie A, with a few fewer teams? "The topic remains taboo. In the coming years, it will be discussed again, even if positions remain divided. The Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, the world's top leagues, have 20 teams. The Bundesliga and Ligue 1 already have 18, and in France they're discussing whether to reduce the number to 16. But that would be the beginning of the end."

In the days of Platini, Van Basten, and Maradona, Serie A had 16 teams, and it wasn't a bad league... "But how many matches did the European Cup have? A total of 59 matches, and a team had to play nine to win it. Now it has a total of 189 games, not including qualifying, and it takes 15 or 17 to win it. Over the last 20 years, FIFA and UEFA have greatly increased their matches, while Serie A hasn't; it's been stuck at 380 matches since 2004, and the Coppa Italia has gone from a total of 94 matches to 45. International commitments have increased too much. Hence the battle the leagues are waging."