SFS 2025: "Maintaining Serie A's appeal in the face of the Champions League" (L. De Siervo, Lega Serie A)

News Tank Football - Paris - News #420210 - Published on 20/11/25 at 14:20

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Luigi De Siervo, 18/11/2025 - © News Tank

"We have to maintain the appeal of our league and our domestic matches. The Champions League has become gigantic and is causing a decline in public interest in the domestic leagues. We need to protect the product that people pay season tickets for. There is a risk of finding ourselves in the same situation as France, with TV rights plummeting. The first of the five Top 5 leagues has been hit by this tsunami, even if each market is unique," declared Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Lega Serie A Sector: Professional league in charge of the organisation of the Serie A and the management of its marketing and media rights (since 09/06/2008)Founded: May 1946 (Lega Nazionale); separation of… , on 18/11/2025.

De Siervo spoke at the Social Football Summit 2025, an international event whose eighth edition was held in Turin (Italy) on 18 and 19/11/2025.

"Solidarity with clubs that do not take part in European competitions is the stuff of legend. If Giorgio Marchetti (deputy secretary general at UEFA) were here, he would say that the current format allows for more solidarity-based redistribution to non-participating teams. That is true, quantitatively speaking. But proportionally, this amount has grown more slowly than that distributed to participating teams, so the gap is widening," added the Italian.

"The national leagues cannot compete with UEFA and FIFA, but we are the guarantors of domestic football and we must be consulted" (L. De Siervo)

• "We are in a process of irreversible polarisation in the world of football. FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association Founded: 1904 Headquarters: Zurich (Switzerland) Workforce (on 31/12/2023): 953 Member federations: 211 • Revenue 2023 (first year of the… and UEFA UEFA: Union of European Football AssociationsFounded: 15/06/1954Headquarters: Nyon (Switzerland)Member Associations: 55 Turnover 2023-24: €6,776.6m - media rights: €4,957m (73.1%) - commercial… are organising more and more competitions and matches in competition with the national leagues, for which they are also the regulators.

• €2.4bn was redistributed to clubs for the 2024-25 Champions League, a sum that is increasing. More and more clubs are receiving more money from UEFA than from their national leagues. EFC European Football Clubs. Formerly ECA (European Club Association) name change announced on 07/10/2025 plays an important role in this development by contributing to the increase in the amount distributed by UEFA to the clubs.
We are in a process of irreversible polarisation in the world of football
• This is also the case with FIFA, which has paid out $1bn to Club World Cup 2025 Organised by FIFA, the first edition contested by 32 teams, in the United States from 15/06 to 13/07/2025. participants, including more than $80m to the finalists and over $110m to the winners.

• The national leagues cannot compete with UEFA and FIFA, but we are the guarantors of domestic football and we must be consulted by the authorities when decisions are taken on international competitions.

• The Super League project has forced UEFA to react and propose a new format with more teams but also more revenue for the biggest clubs. This can be seen from a number of angles.

• Solidarity with clubs that do not take part in European competitions is the stuff of legend. If Giorgio Marchetti Secrétaire général adjoint @ UEFA
(UEFA deputy general secretary) were here, he would say that the latest format redistributes more in solidarity to non-participating teams. That's true in quantitative terms. But proportionally, this sum has grown more slowly than that distributed to participating teams, so the gap is widening.

• We need to maintain interest in our championship and our domestic matches. The Champions League has become gigantic and is causing a decline in public interest in the domestic leagues. We have to protect the product that people pay season tickets for. There is a risk of finding ourselves in the same situation as France, with TV rights plummeting. It was the first of the five Top 5 leagues to be hit by this tsunami, even though each market is unique."

Luigi De Siervo Vice-Chair @ World Leagues Association • CEO @ Lega Serie A
Education: Università degli Studi di Firenze, 1989 - 1994 Law Degree with honors (MA equivalent) , CEO of Lega Serie A, 18/11/2025

Luigi De Siervo

Vice-Chair @ World Leagues Association
CEO @ Lega Serie A

Education:
Università degli Studi di Firenze, 1989 - 1994
Law Degree with honors (MA equivalent)

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# 17751, created on 30/05/16 at 11:13 - Updated on 14/01/26 at 14:59

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