ITALY Law and Practice Contributed by: Maurizio Marullo, Giorgio Vagnoni, Francesco Amoresano and Fausto Consolo, LAWP Studio legale e tributario
agement, etc. Examples of disputes involv - ing coaches and sports directors often involve actions harming the employer’s reputation dur - ing the employment term. 7.3 Free Movement of Athletes The number of foreign athletes allowed to par - ticipate in Italian sports varies depending on the league and federation rules. For example, Serie, A clubs could sign a maxi - mum of three non-EU players from abroad, while Serie, B and Serie, C clubs could only sign Italian and EU athletes. Rules and restrictions related to foreign athletes are also established by other National Federa- tions (professional basketball, for instance, has looser restrictions on foreign athletes compared to its amateur counterpart, which prioritises Ital - ian-trained players). In any case, teams must observe Italian legisla - tion on entry visas for non-EU citizens. Despite esports being a rising phenomenon in Italy, no specific legislation has been created so far. Therefore, there is no legal definition of “pro- fessional video gamer” and no dedicated tax regimes. Legislation on professional sports is not applicable; therefore, professional video gamers are deemed self-employed persons. Consequently, they are subject to the general legislation applicable to self-employment, par - ticularly concerning tax obligations. 8. Women’s Sport 8.1 Women’s Sport Overview
It is also common to find underage professional video gamers in esports events; their activity is subject to limitations under general underage labour legislation. In this non-regulated scenario, draft laws to lay the groundwork for the regulation of esports are under consideration. Nonetheless, sports organisations are exploring the world of esports (eg, the Italian “Lega Serie, A” organises the “E-Serie, A” , a virtual Serie, A football championship). In recent years, Italian women’s sports have seen growing interest from the public, television networks and sponsors. While some disciplines (especially volleyball) have always been highly popular among women, football is the fast - est-growing discipline among Italian women’s sports. The FIGC began a path of reforms involving pro - fessional clubs, granting exceptional authorisa - tion to buy the sporting title of women’s amateur clubs. This led to the establishment of Women’s Serie, A, the first professional women’s competi - tion in Italian sports. In recent years, international football institutions have taken action to fight gender discrimination and implement rules and policies to address dis - advantages faced by female footballers (eg, the FIFA RSTP – especially Article 18-quarter – has established protection for female footballers’ rights to maternity leave and their right to work during and after pregnancy, with severe sanc - 9. Esports 9.1 Esports Overview
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