Serie A will continue to consist of 20 teams after a league assembly on Monday rejected an attempt by the largest clubs in Italy to reduce the pitch to 18.

Following the meeting at its Milan offices, Serie A released a statement stating that “the league’s current format of 20 teams has been confirmed”.

According to Italian media, just four teams—Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, and Roma—voted in favour of the idea, with the remaining sixteen clubs voting against it.

Read Also:Serie A: Dusan Vlahovic with a double as Juventus earn Sassuolo revenge

With more elite clubs and players participating in more games, the notion of reducing the number of teams in Italy’s top division has been around for a time.

The top four teams from Serie A this season will compete in the Champions League, which will have a new format starting in the following season.

More games will be added to an already full schedule as teams must play two more games before being determined to advance to the knockout stages.

The lower-tier teams in Serie A, however, refused to accept a smaller division because they believed it was intended primarily to meet the demands of the largest clubs.

“I’m against it just like all the other medium and small clubs are. I don’t understand why we should deny so many teams their chance to dream,” said Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani last month.

Additionally, Serie A said that their proposal for reforming Italian football has been approved.

It will be presented to FIGC, the nation’s regulatory body, next month.

At an extraordinary general meeting on March 11, the league will urge the FIGC for more autonomy.

Earlier this month, Serie A president Lorenzo Casini claimed that the FIGC’s governance model will be comparable to that of the Premier League in England.