Zebre have struggled against the big guns since their formation last season © Getty Images

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The already uncertain future of the RaboDirect PRO12 has been plunged into further doubt after the president of Italian rugby threatened to pull Treviso and Zebre out of the competition, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

It is a further blow for the Celtic League, as the four Welsh regions have already signalled their intention to join the Aviva Premiership from next season if the WRU do not come up with an agreeable participation agreement by February 1. If the Italians follow suit it is expected they will redirect their investment into a stronger domestic league - which would reportedly have eight teams with new academies set up.

Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) president Alfredo Gavazzi made the threat while speaking to Italian media, due to concerns that the €70 million investment on Italy's two professional teams has not been justified as results have not improved. Treviso and Zebre sit 10th and 11th in the league currently with five wins between them.

In the three years since joining the league Zebre and their predecessor Aironi (twice) have finished rock bottom of the PRO12, though Treviso - who joined in 2010 with Aironi - have fared slightly better. Italy's four-year agreement to participate in the league runs out in the summer and Gavazzi's statement has seemingly thrown their future into doubt.

The FIR spend a quarter of their budget on its two professional clubs and it is felt this is not a sustainable model, especially in a league where they are not treated as equals by the Scottish, Welsh and Irish clubs making up the rest of the league.

"We are not the country cousins. They have to treat us as joint partners,"Gavazzi said, confirming that a meeting between representatives from all four countries is set to take place next Monday in London.