Carlo Tavecchio is “happy” with VAR in Serie A and has called for a reduction to 18 teams, as well as the return of relegation playoffs.

VAR’s role has already come under scrutiny after just one round of Serie A fixtures, with Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic claiming protocol was not followed by the referee correctly in their 1-1 draw with Sassuolo.

Nonetheless, the FIGC President told Radio Anch’Io Sport: “I’m satisfied with its application, only Italy and Germany are implementing this technology. That makes me happy.

“I’m convinced that our League will be among the best in the world this season. We want to build something important with Serie A, Serie B and Lega Pro.

“Why VAR? I talked to Infantino when he was UEFA’s secretary and he helped me a lot. I sent the request to Blatter and he invited me to go ahead with it. We’ve been working on this since 2014.”

Tavecchio also proposed the ideas of cutting two teams from each professional League in Italy and playoffs deciding whether top-flight sides stayed up.

“The ideal format for Italian Leagues would be that of 18 teams, in A, B and the two Lega Pro groups. We can get there and it would resolve many problems.

“Playouts in Serie A? They’ve always been good matches. It would be interesting to discuss.”

Culled from Football Italia