Beretta elected Lega President

Maurizio Beretta has been elected the new President of Lega Calcio after receiving the backing of the majority of Serie A and B clubs today.

As Italian club football prepares for the top-flight to split from the second tier in 2010, Beretta will replace Giancarlo Abete in September at the the head of the governing body for the top two tiers of Italian football until the end of the current season.

Abete, President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), had been appointed the Extraordinary Commissioner in May on a temporarily basis after the Lega Calcio's member clubs failed to re-elect or agree on a successor to previous President Antonio Matarrese.

After months of dispute and negotiations, an historic decision to split Serie A from B, and to create an independent league in time for the 2010-11 season was agreed on and approved by the clubs, sporting authorities and the government last month.

Beretta, who received 36 out of 40 votes to head the Lega Calcio at today's General Assembly meeting in Milan, was handed the role of interim President of the new 'Lega Calcio Serie A' in April to steer the transition and form the new league, which will become functional from July 2010.

The subject of the landmark split first came to the fore last October following a number of disagreements between the Lega Nazionale Professionisti's (Lega Calcio) 42-member clubs over financial issues and how money from television and commercial rights should be distributed.

At the same time the top clubs have complained about not getting a bigger slice of revenue to compete against their English and Spanish counterparts in European club competition and the player transfer market.

The plan was also prompted by the desire of the top sides to match the success of England's Premier League after it broke away from the other Football League divisions in 1992.

Meanwhile, Roma President Rosella Sensi is set to take the role of vice-President of Lega Calcio, while AC Milan deputy Adriano Galliani and Triestina President Stefano Fantinel will be the voice for the 20 Serie A and 22 Serie B clubs, respectively, inside Lega Calcio's Via Rosellini headquarters until June 30, 2010.