Super Cup goes overseas Saturday 5 May, 2007
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The Italian Super Cup will be played overseas, while radical changes to the Coppa Italia and Champions League have been proposed.
This trophy is the Italian equivalent of the Charity Shield, as it opens the new season with a clash between the Scudetto holders and Coppa Italia winners.
Last season it took place at San Siro with Inter emerging 4-3 winners over Roma in extra time, but over the past few years it has been increasingly farmed out to other countries such as Libya.
“We have received offers from China, North America and the Middle East to host the Super Cup,” revealed Lega Calcio President Antonio Matarrese.
“There is an abundance of choices. This year for the first time we will hand a Serie B trophy to the winners of the Championship. It will be assigned on June 10.”
The meeting on Friday also worked through proposals on how to radically change the Coppa Italia, including repercussions for Europe.
“In our view it would be right to give three automatic Champions League places to the top teams in the table, then allow a preliminary round spot for the Coppa Italia winners. It should begin from 2009, assuming UEFA accept our proposal.”
In the current format, the first two sides enter the competition directly, while third and fourth go through the preliminary round.
“We are also planning a new Coppa Italia system without Serie C or D teams. There are seven different formats being scrutinised at the moment, depending on the type of television deal we will find.”
It has been confirmed that the Serie A season will kick off on August 26, 2007 and there are also changes in mind here.
“This term’s experiment of a three-week Christmas break will not be repeated, so we are returning to the traditional two weeks. It should not be a problem, as we are spreading the midweek rounds out differently thanks to the new Coppa Italia format,” explained Matarrese.
“The first two midweek rounds will be between September and October, with another between February and March.”
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So, they never gave a Serie B trophy?
