Italy's Top-Tier Football Division To Stick With 20 Clubs

Italy's top-flight football division Serie A will stick to its 20-club format, the league said on Monday.

In a statement, Serie A said that current 20-team format was confirmed during a meeting at league headquarters in Milan.

Italy's state-run ANSA news agency said that the Serie A assembly rejected a proposal to reduce the number of clubs in the league from 20 to 18.

The same source added that only four clubs – Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, and Roma –voted for the 18-team format "to ease fixture congestion." Meanwhile the other 16 clubs voted to keep the current format.

One of the biggest football leagues in Europe, Serie A introduced the 20-team format in 2004.

Before the 2004-05 season, Serie A was usually played with 18 clubs. -