Italian family values

Still not satisfied with the amount of football on television? Then consider a move to Italy where next season you can enjoy …

Still not satisfied with the amount of football on television? Then consider a move to Italy where next season you can enjoy coverage seven days a week .

Plans for the non-stop coverage were unveiled by the Italian Football League this week. For a start, the Serie A will now be split every weekend between Saturday (at least two matches) and Sunday with a new fixed kick-off time of 3.00 p.m. Mondays and Fridays will each see a Serie B match, with the enlarged Champions League being hosted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the re-vamped UEFA Cup on Thursdays.

Italian League director Franco Carraro denied there was a risk of "overdose" and argued that the new fixed Sunday kick-off time would improve family life in Italy. "With the different kick-off times, it's always been difficult for families to organise Sundays so that everybody is happy."

And no mention at all of the principle motivation - exploiting the rapidly emerging market in Italy for subscription and pay-per-view television.

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Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics