April 14 – The leadership of Lega Serie A, and 18 of the 20 clubs in the competition, have endorsed former Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) President Giovanni Malagò as their preferred candidate for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) presidential election.
Lazio and Verona remain the two clubs get to back a candidate, but both could add their support for the sports administrator in the future.
“The ball is now in Malagò’s court: he has to carry out his research, formalise his candidacy and present his programme for the presidency,” said Ezio Simonelli, the president of Serie A.
Serie A clubs however hold just 18% of the vote to elect the head of the FIGC, while amateur football hosts a 34% share, and it could throw its backing behind the leader of the National Amateur League Giancarlo Abete, who has announced he will run for the position.
Italian football has plunged into a new crisis after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup following a playoff defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in March.
In the wake of the elimination, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, manager Gennaro Gattuso and team general manager Gianluigi Buffon all stood down.
Malagò has ample experience as sports administrator. He served as head of Italy’s National Olympic Committee, CONI, and led the organising committee for the recent Winter Games in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Italy will co-host EURO 2032 but in a recent interview with Italian sport daily Gazzetta dello Sport, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin warned that the Italians could lose the hosting rights because the state of the country’s footballing infrastructure.
The FIGC elections will be held on 22 June.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]