(Reuters) - Serie A clubs voted to keep the number of clubs in the Italian top division at 20, the Lega Serie A said on Monday after their shareholders' meeting in Milan.
Only four clubs voted in favour of a reduction to 18 clubs in Serie A - Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and AS Roma - and the number of clubs will remain at 20, as it has been since the 2004-05 season.
The top clubs had pushed for the reduction in an effort to reduce the number of games played and increase the quality of football on offer but needed a majority of 14 in order to pass the reform.
A proposal for reforms was also approved which will be presented at the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Italian football federation (FIGC) in March.
The Italian league is pushing for more autonomy from the FIGC, similar to the Premier League in England.
"Currently, the system does not give Serie A the autonomy and decision-making weight it should have with respect to economic weight," Lega President Lorenzo Casini said after a meeting of Serie A clubs last week.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
