The competition was the evolution of former Prima Divisione
(First Division) which had two main problems: it was divided between the northern and the southern part of the country, and was formally faithful to the amatorial directories of
FIFA. The
fascist regime would not accept a championship based on local groups, so in 1926 it took the direct control of
FIGC with
Leandro Arpinati as president, who merged two
Roman clubs and newborn
Napoli into the
Milan-based Northern League, which consequently changed its name into Direttorio Divisioni Superiori
(Directory of Higher Divisions), and it formed a Prima Divisione Sud championship
(Southern First Division) which would promote a southern club into the renamed Divisione Nazionale every year. Players' purchase and salary were also allowed, even if Italian football did not officially turn into a professional system until 1960. Divisione Nazionale was based, as previous Lega Nord, on two groups, now composed of only ten clubs each, the best teams playing a final group for the
scudetto. In 1927, the championship was provisionally enlarged to 22 clubs, due to the re-admittance of
A.S. Roma and
S.S.C. Napoli, which had been formally relegated at the end of the 1926–27 campaign. In 1928,
Arpinati decided a historical reform, which lasts still today, creating the new
Serie A and
Serie B, even if, for a transitional year, the two series had still to be played merged in a last Divisione Nazionale season. ==Winners==