Romano must pay €100,000 compensation after dumping Switzerland for Italy

BERGAMO, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 12: Alessandro Romano of Cagliari Calcio in actio during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on September 12, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano is ready for his Italy debut, but the switch of allegiances means he’ll have to pay the Swiss Federation circa €100,000.

The 20-year-old was born and raised in Switzerland to parents of Italian origin, and had until now only ever played for Switzerland at international youth level.

That included 34 games and wearing the captain’s armband in some of them.

Romano raised in Switzerland

The Swiss Federation was so confident that Romano would be a star of the future that they enlisted him in the Footuro programme, where the brightest talents are singled out and given extra help for their development.

It means a personal coach and planning, specific tests and guidance for the younger players.

However, seeing as Romano has decided not to play his senior international football for Switzerland, the Federation has ruled that he needs to repay them for the services he used.

That will come to roughly €100,000 in total, and it is to be paid by the player, not the Italian Federation.

He is not the first that is being placed in this position, because the Swiss authorities also sought compensation when Albian Hajdari switched to play for the Kosovo national team in October 2025.

Romano first moved to Italy at the age of 16 to enter into the Roma youth academy in the summer of 2022.