Former Italian international Damiano Tommasi has spoken of his reasons for opposing the proposed addition of a third non-European Union squad member, as well as why he believes the discussions to implement ‘second teams’ could be a positive step for domestic football.
The ex-Roma midfielder is now the president of the AIC (Italian Footballers’ Association), the body which represents a mix of amateur and professional players on the FIGC (Italian Football Federation).
In this capacity, Tommasi commented on two of the biggest issues facing the game in Italy: the planned introduction of second – or ‘B’ – teams and the suggested expansion of non-EU squad places.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said of the latter concern in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“This is not what would serve to revitalise our youth systems. We do not see the usefulness [in allowing more non-EU players in squads].
“Buying players from the Italian market would mean keeping our resources internal and ensuring the lifeblood [of] Serie B and Lega Pro, which at one time gave several players to senior ranks.
“It [increasing the permitted number of foreigners] would not change the quality or viability of the clubs, but would send a negative signal.”
The AIC President urged that utilising more home-grown players in first team squads, particularly between the ages of 18 and 23 years old, was a far more favourable route for the domestic game in the longer term, citing the examples of Spanish and German teams as paradigms of the success such a policy can have.
“The same age group [between 18 and 23] of Spanish and Germans accumulate a lot more experience than ours do, and it shows in the cups,” he insisted.
His assertion comes despite strong rumours that Serie A clubs are generally in favour of amending the rule to allow more than the currently allocated two non-EU players to be registered.
Tommasi went on to offer his opinion on the prospect of ‘B’ teams being assimilated into the existing league structures at some point in the future. The 38-year-old suggested such a decision could be beneficial to the Italian game in general, again citing foreign examples as evidence.
“According to us the formative aspect of having a second team is not to be underestimated, seeing how it works abroad in countries that are reaping good results from the training of young players,” he said.
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