Moves To America, Italian Serie A President Resigns

Paolo Dal Pino (Photo: Football Italia)

JAKARTA - Italian football league president Paolo Dal Pino has resigned from his post after moving to America with his family, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The telecommunications executive was appointed chairman of Serie A shortly before the COVID-19 outbreak brought competition to a halt for three months and then resumed with empty stadiums for a year.

In a letter dated February 1 to 20 Serie A clubs, quoted by Antara, he said a move to California last month meant he could not continue in his role as Serie A boss. He also emphasized his efforts to encourage innovation in an "environment that is resilient to change".

In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak, Dal Pino promoted the project of selling a minority stake in a newly formed media company to a group of private equity investors. But the plan was canceled after facing opposition from seven top Italian clubs.

Dal Pino confirms that a similar model has been adopted to improve the financial performance of clubs in Spain.

Last month he asked Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government to provide support to the country's football industry to tackle the impact of the virus crisis on league finances.