Three teams with an all-Italian starting eleven and one (Feralpisalò) with a matchday squad consisting only of Italians. This is what happened on the opening matchday in Serie B, with Cosenza, Sudtirol and Feralpisalò all taking to the pitch with line-ups that were made in Italy.

A significant development that has been encouraged by a ruling from Lega B (headed by Mauro Balata) that allows for the provision of financial contributions to clubs who field Under-21 and Under-23 Italian players. During the first round of Serie B fixtures, two 2005-born, four 2004-born and seven 2003-born players made their debuts. In total, there were 46 Under-25 debutants, 31 of whom were Italians.

“This is the way forward for the good of Italian football and our National Team,” said FIGC President Gravina. “We’re lucky to have so many talents, as also proven by the fantastic results achieved by our National Youth Teams in the last few years. But our youth need to be protected and nurtured, and, when it comes to their growth, it’s vital for the lads to get increasingly more playing time. I hope that this change of direction won’t be limited to Serie B and that Serie A follows suit in the long run. After all, investing in youngsters is the only way to guarantee both ourselves and them a better future.”