{"id":11648,"date":"2026-02-24T12:23:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leapacademy.it\/?p=11648"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:25:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:25:33","slug":"independent-bodies-in-professional-football-a-comparison-between-italy-and-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leapacademy.it\/en\/independent-bodies-in-professional-football-a-comparison-between-italy-and-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent bodies in professional football: a comparison between Italy and England"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Edited by <\/span><\/span><\/span> Valerio Casagrande<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/div>

The recent new edition of the FIGC Internal Organizational Rules (\u201cNOIF\u201d) and the publication of the National Licensing System (\u201cSLN\u201d) for the 2026\u201327 sporting season have formally confirmed the entry of the Commissione Indipendente per la verifica dell\u2019equilibrio economico e finanziario delle societ\u00e0 sportive professionistiche (the \u201cIndependent Commission\u201d) into the Italian football control system.<\/p>

The Independent Commission was established by Article 13-bis of Legislative Decree No. 36 of 28 February 2021 and has been operational since 1 October 2025. It is composed of seven members, five appointed members and two permanent members: the Director General of the Italian Revenue Agency<\/a> and the President of INPS<\/a>. The Independent Commission has replaced Co.Vi.So.C., the former control body which was part of the FIGC.<\/p>

The explanatory report accompanying the relevant decree-law states that the establishment of the Independent Commission \u201cresponds to the urgent need to reorganize the regulatory framework governing financial controls over professional sports clubs, not only to ensure the proper conduct of sporting competitions, but also to guarantee clubs\u2019 admission to such competitions. This urgency arises from the fact that, following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, sports governing bodies will be called upon to renew their leadership positions and, in this context, it is necessary to intervene promptly to ensure that the body responsible for supervising professional clubs and issuing opinions on their admission to competitions is independent and remains external to the Federal Council.\u201d <\/em><\/p>

The need for an independent supervisory body in professional football is not unique to Italy, but has also been strongly felt in England. This need led to the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator<\/strong><\/a> (\u201cIFR\u201d).<\/p>

Given that both bodies have been recently established, it is reasonable to assume that they will undergo a settling-in period during which: (i) their activities and interactions with other sectoral and non-sectoral institutions will be defined in greater detail, and (ii) operational practices will be consolidated. Against this background, it is already possible to outline an initial comparison between the main features of the two entities (*).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Without implying any value judgment, the following factual considerations may be drawn from the above comparison:<\/p>