ROME (AP) — New Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina says it's "time to play" for idle Serie C clubs still holding out hope of promotion to Serie B.
Presiding over his first board meeting since being elected last week, Gravina signaled that he plans to support previous rulings limiting Serie B to 19 clubs this season.
The move from 22 to 19 teams was made following the bankruptcies of Avellino, Bari and Cesena.
However, Virtus Entella, Novara, Pro Vercelli and Ternana — the four clubs relegated at the end of last season — plus Catania and Siena, which lost in the Serie C playoffs, are all still arguing for a place in the second division.
Entella has played only one match this season in Serie C, and the other clubs arguing for promotion have also been idle lately.
Gravina says: "I'm hoping that that everyone plays on Sunday and I think my wish will be met by the leaders of the Lega Pro (Serie C). The time has come to play football."
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