“No illegitimate act was committed by Serie Athe League, in the interest and protection of the candidate himself and all its members, deemed it necessary activate the necessary procedures to verify the independence requirements established by the statute of the League itself“. The outgoing president of the top championship clubs, Lorenzo Casini, thus intervenes with a statement to ANSA to clarify the ongoing checks on the election of Ezio Simonelli as the new president of the League. “Regarding what was reported by some press outlets on the elective assembly of the LNPA on 20 December, I find myself forced, in spite of myself, to provide some clarifications, in the interest of a peaceful continuation of the numerous commitments that await Serie A and the new President in the four-year period 2025-2029 – says Casini -. It was the first time in which a candidate for the presidency of the highest component of Italian football was organically linked to an associate or its ownership. Therefore, Serie A deemed it necessary to activate the necessary procedures to verify the independence requirements established by the League's statute. Consistently, at the end of the Assembly on 20 December, in agreement with the Board of Auditors and in line with what was established in the report presented by the same Board during the assembly meeting, it was decided to hold a Council to carry out an investigative activity on the complex situation of the professional roles held by Doctor Simonelli. For this reason I took steps that same evening to convene the League Council for 27 December, precisely in order to speed up and make the handover as smooth as possible in the interests of Serie A, also in view of the imminent semi-finals and final of the Super Cup in Riad. I can therefore reassure everyone that no illegitimate act was committed by Serie A – adds Casini -, nor did the bodies exceed their powers because I would never have allowed it.
Simply consult the minutes of the meeting or listen to the recording again. However, pending the Council meeting already convened, Simonelli, despite not yet having received any formal communication from Serie A or perhaps because he was simply misinformed, independently decided to accept the office of President pursuant to article 14 of the LNPA Statute, attaching a self-declaration on his independence which, unfortunately, is still partial and incomplete. It was Simonelli himself who raised the issue of his non-independence when submitting his candidacy. The timing of the proceedings therefore depends only on the need to manage the entire affair in the exclusive interest of Serie Aso that the smooth handover to the new President takes place quickly, allowing the start of his mandate without shadows or opacity of any kind. Since the Assembly did not adhere to the interpretative line also proposed in an opinion, requested by some associated with Professor Irtiregarding the need for a candidate to be independent already at the time of his candidacy, it would therefore be sufficient for Simonelli to present, to accept the position, a complete declaration compliant with article 14 of the Statute pursuant to which the President 'before the act of acceptance of the office, which must take place within 15 days of the Assembly, must resign from the positions of director and in any case from the management positions held in the associated companies, as well as interrupt any relationship in any capacity with the associated companies, their subsidiaries, with them reference shareholders or with the group to which they belong, or with another professional league. I hope that an end will be put to distortions or exploitation so as to allow as soon as possible, in compliance with the Serie A Statutethe beginning of the mandate of its new bodies”. (ANSA)
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