Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis promotes a football version of the Five Nations tournament and an Italian-only Serie B.

The outspoken football magnate gave an extensive interview with Il Corriere dello Sport in which he discussed a number of ideas to radically rethink the concept of European and Italian football.

“Why have the Champions League and the Europa League,” he said, “and not a European championship between the five most important nations, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and England?

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis promotes a football version of the Five Nations tournament and an Italian-only Serie B.

The outspoken football magnate gave an extensive interview with Il Corriere dello Sport in which he discussed a number of ideas to radically rethink the concept of European and Italian football.

“Why have the Champions League and the Europa League,” he said, “and not a European championship between the five most important nations, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and England?

“If I have a championship in which Liverpool comes to play against Inter, while in the second category the seventh English team comes to play against Cagliari, wouldn't that be more interesting?

“We're still in the Stone Age. It would be a fantastic way to fill up the stadiums. When I hear people still debating over whether to have Serie A with 20 or 18 teams, everything seems so old.”

De Laurentiis also had an idea to rethink the concept of Serie B.

“I imagine a championship only for Italian players below the age of 22.

“How can anyone ever play a youngster with no experience? But if he plays in a certain team, under the right rules, he'll pick up experience right away.

“Let Serie B replace the Primavera and Beretti tournaments. Only players from the ages of 18 to 22, and only Italians, no foreigners.

“In Serie A I must have the liberty to compose my own team, because that's where the really competitive business is.

“I can't ask Inter to sign only Italians. If you do that, Italian clubs will be facing Belgium or Portugal, where they have complete freedom when it comes to foreigners.

“There are still many cobwebs and a lot of work to be done.”

Byandrea

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