Football News: 'Elitist' Coppa Italia Format Sparks Outrage, Super League Comparisons

The Coppa Italia is facing heavy criticism amidst its format change for the 2021-22 edition, which shall only include 40 clubs from Serie A and Serie B.

The decision of Lega Serie A to have only 20 teams each from the first and second-tier Italian leagues has drawn the ire of many, including second division club Venezia, which on Thursday tweeted: "Amazingly tone-deaf."

Previously, the cup competition format included 78 teams from up to the Serie C and D levels. Juventus and Atalanta will face off on May 19 for the 2021 winner.

Lega Pro/Serie C president Francesco Ghirelli lambasted the development following an emergency meeting with the Lega Pro's council.

"The decision by Serie A to exclude Lega Pro teams from the Coppa Italia does not only violate consolidated directives, but it is also the expression of an elitist concept of football, Ghirelli expressed, per Football Italia, "one incapable of a vision covering the whole system."

The adamant Italian sports manager added the third-division pro league council will "adopt all initiatives to protest the rights of its teams and safeguard the culture of football that respects the most authentic sporting values."

As pointed out by European sports journalist Siavoush Fallahi, the Coppa Italia situation ironically mirrors that of the European Super League.

The then-proposed ESL explored a format that would have taken some of the elite teams from top-flight European leagues and have them battle in a season-long tournament.

But several clubs backed out immediately following the backlash, including Serie A clubs Juventus, Inter and AC Milan.

"Serie A teams complained about the Super League, just to make a reform for Coppa Italia to only include Serie A and Serie B team. The same principles for the [Coppa Italia], and now they aren't complaining," Fallahi tweeted on Thursday.

The FA Cup, England's counterpart of the domestic knockout football competition, was also brought up in the discussion.

Fans argue that the "magic" of such cups—the possibility of pitting smaller clubs against giants and the storylines that follow—is what draws intrigue.

As of posting time, it is unsure how organizers of the Coppa Italia will respond to the obvious outrage concerning an important part of Italian football tradition.