Serie A and FIGC back Gattuso for World Cup play-offs: changes for MD30 | OneFootball

Serie A tries to lend a hand to Gennaro Gattuso and the National Team ahead of the World Cup playoffs. After the Zurich draw, which paired Italy with Northern Ireland in the semifinal on March 26, the president of Lega Serie A, Ezio Simonelli, confirmed his willingness to find solutions useful to the head coach.

World Cup Playoffs, Serie A and FIGC working to help Gattuso. The options for Matchday 30

“We will do everything possible to support the FIGC and the National Team, we will work on the match schedules. It would be a source of pride for everyone to see Italy at the World Cup,” he declared.

Gattuso has requested a training camp in February and a stoppage of the league in the days leading up to the playoff match, following the model of Montella’s Turkey. But the coach himself admitted: “It’s not up to me to decide.”

Moving Matchday 30? Almost impossible

Matchday 30 of Serie A, scheduled for Saturday, March 22, represents the most complex issue. According to reports from Gazzetta dello Sport, moving the entire round is practically impossible for several reasons:

the calendar is already congested with domestic (Coppa Italia) and international (Champions League, Europa League, Conference) commitments;

lack of available midweek slots between February and March;

rigidity of the television rights framework.

The most likely solution: move everything forward by one day

The most concrete option under consideration is to bring the entire Serie A round forward: matches spread between Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, thus freeing up valuable time for the National Team and allowing Gattuso to start preparations earlier.

However, this operation will have to take into account the European commitments of Italian teams. A prime example is Fiorentina: should the Viola continue their journey in the Conference League and play on Thursday, the match against Inter at the Franchi could only be scheduled at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.