Inter Milan and Napoli have rejected the proposal of Saudi Arabian organizers to postpone the dates for the Supercoppa Italiana.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, via FCInterNews. The newspaper report that the clubs are concerned because of their Champions League commitments.
Inter will be one of the four teams participating in this season’s edition of the Supercoppa Italiana.
The Nerazzurri have won the trophy in each of the past two seasons.
But in the past two editions, Inter have won the Supercoppa by playing in a one-off match.
Two seasons ago, the Nerazzurri beat Juventus with a dramatic last-gasp winner from Alexis Sanchez in extra time.
That match was played at the San Siro in Italy.
And last season, in Riyadh, Inter beat city rivals AC Milan 3-0 to get their hands on the trophy for the second season in a row.
But this time around the format for the Supercoppa will change.
Inter & Napoli Reject Saudi Organizers Proposal To Postpone Supercoppa Italiana Matches
The Supercoppa will be a four-team mini-tournament this season.
The format is essentially the same as that of the Spanish Super Cup.
Inter and Lazio will meet in one semifinal match. And Fiorentina take on Napoli in the other.
The format pits the top two teams from last season’s Serie A table against last season’s two Coppa Italia finalists.
Then the winners of the two semifinal matches will meet in a final for the trophy.
At the moment, the semifinal matches of the Supercoppa will take place on the 21st and 22nd of January.
Then on January 25, the final will take place.
But according to the Corriere della Sera, Saudi organizers have proposed moving the dates to the first week of February.
But both Inter and Napoli have firmly rejected that notion.
That is because both the Nerazzurri and the Partenopei are likely set to have Champions League commitments in that same month.
The two clubs hardly want to crowd that part of the fixture list any more.
