Following the application of the ruling of the Federal Court of Appeal with sanctions for AZ Picerno and Bitonto, the FIGC agreed unanimously that Bisceglie and Foglia will be the final two teams to be granted the opportunity to apply for Serie C, after taking the penalties into account and granting the second-placed side the top spot in Serie D Group H.

The two clubs will have 10 days to complete the admission procedures, which will then be considered by COVISOC and the Infrastructural and Organisational Criteria. Furthermore, as has already been agreed for the Lega Serie A, the Council voted unanimously to grant Lega Pro sides five substitutions a match next season.

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina got proceedings underway by informing the Council that the FIGC have received the electoral regulations from the various constituent organisations, which will need to be approved before the electoral process can begin ahead of the renewal of federal positions. These regulations will need to comply with the fundamental principles of the statues and regulations of the Italian National Olympic Committee, but above all, they need to promote internal democracy within the Leagues and in the technical and administrative constituent organisations of the FIGC.

President Gravina gave the following statement in a press conference following the Council meeting: “As soon as competitive football got back underway, I expressed my desire to bring the presidents of the various constituent organisations together to start discussing a new and progressive project to reform the footballing system in Italy. We’ve got to cherish something that’s at risk of losing its attractiveness.”

During the meeting last week with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Gravina discussed the idea of a Serie A play off once more: “It’s an idea I’ve been working on for quite some time,” emphasised Gravina, “and I’d be delighted if people from across the footballing world are interested. At the minute, there are just too many matches being played, and whenever a fixture has to be delayed, it all descends into a frenzy.”

In the hope that fans will soon be able to return to the stands to support their teams, the FIGC President reiterated the necessity to reduce the frequency of testing: “Carrying out tests every four days has become unsustainable. At this time, we’re looking to find a more practical solution for the immediate future, and I hope that the Scientific Technical Committee will be able to offer us this for the start of the new season.” However, he also stressed the importance of the reopening of schools plays out: “Schools are the priority, and if the reopening of schools proves to be a success, with the sense of responsibility that football has already shown, the reopening of stadiums could definitely be on the table.”