AC Milan chief exec Giorgio Furlani says Serie A was wrong to scrap the 'Growth Decree'.

The 'Growth Decree' allowed Serie A to sign foreign players at a lower tax-rate.

Furlani said at a Rome football function: "As Italian football, we find ourselves in a situation in which we have many forces against us. Inability to create stadiums is one, piracy is another. Then there are smaller things that make Italian football less competitive compared to the other top leagues.

"The Growth Decree is the only lever to make the championship competitive compared to others. Football is not a toy. It is an industry that attracts foreign capital, thanks to the Growth Decree the Italian teams have returned to attracting talents that we were previously unable to afford and thanks to these we have been successful in Europe. So to me it seems like a total contradiction to go and change a rule which is the one that allows us to go towards the right path and which is inherent in the word 'growth'. It seems crazy to me.

"Sadly we didn't make the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. But it seems difficult to me to say that the national team isn't doing well due to the Growth Decree. If we look at the youth teams then the national teams did very well. If there is a concern, as I have heard, that the Growth Decree will impact nurseries, then I say let's sit around a table and talk about it. Let us address this problem. We as Milan are willing to commit ourselves to the development of our players. However, cutting the Growth Decree means reducing the resources that would also be taken away from the youth sectors."