Serie A clubs given more time to build as new season pushed back September 19 start

August 4 – Next season’s Serie A kick-off has been postponed by a week to September 19 the Italian league announced in a bid to allow clubs and players enough rest.

The league said the decision “confirms the preference already expressed … by the majority of the clubs in a meeting dedicated to this topic.”

Last weekend, the Serie A concluded after a season that stretched for 49 weeks following the coronavirus shutdown from March to June.

Predictably, Juventus consolidated their position at the top of the pyramid by winning a ninth consecutive league title.

The 2020/21 season will conclude at the end of May, but the week’s delay means that there will only be a very short Christmas break in Italy. Matches have been scheduled for January 3 and 6.

With kick-off now slated for the third week of September, clubs will have more time to build a new squad with Serie A’s transfer market set to open on September 1 and running to October 5.

Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1711704043labto1711704043ofdlr1711704043owedi1711704043sni@o1711704043fni1711704043