Serie A chairmen on Thursday voted to split from Serie B over disagreements on how money from TV and commercial rights is divvied up.
Nineteen of the 20 Serie A clubs voted to break away, “given the impossibility of reaching agreements with Serie B clubs,” a statement from the Serie A meeting said.
The chairmen named a former manager at Fiat and state broadcaster RAI, Maurizio Beretta, to steer the transition as interim president.
Observers said the formal division of the professional league (Lega Calcio), in which the two flights currently vote together, could now only be reversed if the government or other bodies step in.
“We have created the new Serie A league,” Palermo Chairman Maurizio Zamparini said after Thursday's meeting.
“This time we're really going to do it,” he said, referring to repeated past threats to split from Serie B.
Of the Serie A members, only Lecce voted against the split.
Stefano Fantinel of Serie B club Triestina said “the first phase is over and phase two will be getting rid of the smaller Serie B clubs.” Serie B President Gianfranco Andreoletti said the second division clubs would appeal to the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC), the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all Italian sports, and the government.
Several Serie B clubs have recently reported financial problems.
Serie A clubs have complained for years about not getting a bigger slice of revenue from TV rights.

— ANSA

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