Launching a new form of ownership: Reggina returns to Lotito to "ensure continuity and development"

Calabria Club currently competes in Serie D, so federal regulations do not hinder this activity. However, if Reggina is promoted, Lotito will have to decide which club to keep. In Italian football, a new form of ownership is born just when it looked like it would disappear due to federation regulations approved five years ago. Claudio Lotito, who is already the president and owner of Lazio, has bought Reggina in Serie D. The official announcement was made yesterday, first via the social networks of the mayor of Reggio Calabria, Francesco Cannizzaro, Lotito's fellow party member, and then an official statement from the Calabria Club. Reggina's statement said: "We announce that this afternoon, in Rome, the transfer of Reggina to a company belonging to the Group of President Claudio Lotito was completed. This cooperation aims to guarantee the amaranto Club continuity and new development prospects, respecting the history of Reggina and the love of the people of Reggio Calabria for this sport." - the club's announcement clearly stated. To achieve a positive result in this deal, the help of the mayor of Reggio Calabria, Mr. Francesco Cannizzaro, was very important, he was the bridge between the parties involved. The board of directors thanked the fans, agencies and all relevant parties for accompanying the transfer process, and congratulated the new owner. In terms of regulations, the FIGC Statutes (art. 7) and the Noif regulations (art. 16 bis), as amended by the Federal Council on 30 September 2021, prohibit any participation in multiple professional clubs "with the requirement of immediate sale, or cancellation of membership, for clubs promoted from Serie D to Lega Pro". When this regulation was approved, two cases existed - Hellas Verona/Mantova and Napoli/Bari - with the case of Lazio/Salernitana, in which Lotito was also the protagonist, being in the process of being resolved by entrusting the team to an independent fund tasked with finding a new buyer. For these cases, there was an exception that was initially provided for the 2024/25 season and was later extended until 2028. So what happens next? The Lazio/Reggina ownership model currently complies with the regulations, but if the Calabrian team is promoted to Serie C, Lotito will face the same situation he experienced five years ago with Salernitana and will have to decide which of the two clubs under his ownership to keep and which one will have to be transferred. All this will happen if in the coming months the regulations do not change as Lotito himself and not only he wants. However, this change does not seem to be a priority for new FIGC President Giovanni Malagò.