A crucial vote is set to determine the next President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Monday. The election will see Giancarlo Abete and Giovanni Malago compete to steer Italian football into a new era.
Italian Football Faces a Decisive Moment: Abete and Malago Vie for FIGC Leadership
The departure of Gabriele Gravina as FIGC President followed Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive cycle, a defeat that significantly impacted the national team.
Following this, national team head coach Gennaro Gattuso and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon also resigned. However, the FIGC has been unable to fill these key positions permanently until a new President is elected.
The election for the new FIGC President will be held on Monday at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome.
Giovanni Malago, 67, who previously served as President of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) from 2013 to 2025, is considered the frontrunner for the FIGC presidency, according to early newspaper reports.
His challenger is Giancarlo Abete, 75. Abete currently heads the National Amateur Leagues (LND) and is seeking a return to the FIGC presidency, a role he held from 2007 to 2014.
The election outcome will be decided by a total of 516 votes, distributed across Italy’s footballing landscape as follows:
- Serie A: 20 delegates, representing 18% of the votes.
- Serie B: 20 delegates, accounting for 6% of the votes.
- Lega Pro (Serie C): 57 delegates, holding 12% of the votes.
- LND (National Amateur Leagues): 99 delegates, with a significant 34% of the votes.
- Players’ Association: 52 delegates, making up 20% of the votes.
- Coaches’ Association: 26 delegates, contributing 10% of the votes.
Both Abete and Malago are expected to present their electoral manifestos at the FIGC Assembly on Monday before the voting commences. The election will be conducted electronically and in secret.
The candidate who secures ‘50% plus one’ of the votes will be appointed as the new President of the FIGC.