It’s scheduled for today, Tuesday 4 Junethe expiry date on which each «professional sports club, in possession of the sporting qualification to obtain admission to the Serie C Championship, must comply with the provisions – relating to the legal and economic-financial criteria, infrastructural criteria and sporting and organizational criteria – established by the FIGC for the issuing of the National License relating to the next sports season».
A term that the FIGC defines as “peremptory” (and which moves to 11 June 2024 for the clubs that took part in the playoffs for promotion to Serie B) and which also closely concerns the Milan. The Rossoneri club, in fact, intends to launch the project for the Under 23 team (the so-called second team), thus joining Atalanta And Juventus.
The Rossoneri club, as told by Football and Financehas already moved by investing as well over 700 thousand euros for the modernization works of the “Chinetti” stadium in Solbiate Arno, where the Under 23 team would play its home matches. However, to bring the project to life, a space must be freed up in Serie C for the entry of the second team, and therefore one team among those entitled to it must not register for the championship.
Serie C registration deadline – The requirements for access to the championship
But what are the admission requirements? And what steps need to be completed today? Also for the 2024/2025 season, the National Licensing System is particularly rigorous in terms of the requirements required for admission and the deadlines indicated. The FIGC has repeatedly highlighted how failure to comply with the peremptory deadline of June 4, 2024 (11 June 2024 for the Serie C clubs semi-finalists of the 2023/2024 Play Offs), «even with reference to only one of the obligations […] determines the failure to grant the National License for the 2024/2025 Serie C Championship».
The first fulfillment concerns the deposit, «under penalty of forfeiture, at the Lega Pro, also by certified email, of the application for admission to the 2024/2025 Serie C Championship, containing the request for granting the National License and the commitment not to participate in competitions organized by private associations not recognized by FIFA, UEFA and the FIGC. In order to obtain the National License, clubs must pay the fee for the operating costs of Lega Pro and for the implementation of association projects and the participation fees in official Lega Pro competitions; the clubs are also required to pay the respective share of compensation, foreseen for the football year, in favor of Calcio Servizi Lega Pro srl for the services rendered by the latter».
For what concern second fulfillmentclubs must «deposit, with Lega Pro, the original of the guarantee in favor of the same Lega, to be provided exclusively through suretyship on first request for the amount of €350,000 issued by:
- banks that appear in the Register of Banks kept by the Bank of Italy;
- insurance companies that: are registered in the IVASS Register; are authorized to exercise branch 15 (sureties) referred to in art. 2, paragraph 3, of the Private Insurance Code; have a minimum rating of Baa2, if ascertained by Moody’s or BBB if ascertained by Standards & Poor’s or BBB if ascertained by Fitch and have published the SFCR document with a solvency index of no less than 1.3. The rating must be held directly by the company issuing the guarantee; in the absence of the SFCR document referred to above, have a minimum rating of A3 if ascertained by Moody’s or A- if ascertained by Standards & Poor’s or A- if ascertained by Fitch or “Good” if ascertained by the AM Best Rating agency. The rating must be held directly by the company issuing the guarantee;
- companies registered in the Single Register pursuant to art. 106 TUB which have a share capital of not less than 100,000,000 euros. In the event that the first request guarantee has been issued and signed with the handwritten signature of the authorized official of the guarantee institution, it must be deposited by delivery of the paper original. If, however, it was issued and signed digitally by the authorized official of the surety institution, the relevant deposit must be made exclusively by certified email. Acceptance of the surety guarantee is subject to the absence of disputes between the FIGC and/or the professional leagues and the issuing body».
As an alternative to surety guaranteesports clubs – we read in the document – can establish a “guarantee deposit” of the amount of 350,000 euros with banks that appear in the Register of Banks kept by the Bank of Italy by depositing, with Lega Pro, the original of the escrow contract in favor of the same League.
Also, how third fulfillment it is necessary “file, with Lega Pro, the “declaration of express acceptance of the legislation relating to the different and smaller distribution of proceeds by the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie B in the event of promotion to Serie B” and/or admission to a higher league in the season sports 2025/2026».
Finally, the fourth and final fulfillment concerns the deposit «at Lega Pro a self-certification signed by the legal representative of the company and by the statutory auditor (or by the president of the board of auditors or by the president of the supervisory board or by the sole auditor), certifying the fulfillment of the payment of all overdue debts as of 30 April 2024 accrued towards clubs affiliated to the FIGC and all debts deriving from arbitration rulings».
Series C registration deadline – 4 June
Failure to comply with the peremptory deadline of 4 June 2024 (11 June 2024 for the Serie C clubs semi-finalists of the 2023/2024 Play Offs), even with reference to only one of the obligations required of the Infrastructure and Sports-Organisational Criteria Commission, determines the failure to grant the National License for the 2024/2025 Serie C Championship.
The deadline will go off at midnight. Currently, the 2024/25 season presents some question marks regarding the registration of some of those eligible. Mainly these are half-finished companies with the majority shares changing hands and for which the outgoing owners have undertaken, at least on word, to complete the procedures. Except for some temporary rethinking of some of these.
