Rome has returned to a familiar institutional crossroads in Italian football. The Italian Football Federation will hold a fresh presidential election after Giovanni Malagò’s June victory was challenged over the status of his federation registration, prompting the Italian Olympic Committee to place the FIGC under special administration.
The news from the club
Luciano Buonfiglio, president of the Italian Olympic Committee, has agreed with Malagò that he will remain in charge of the FIGC on an interim basis during the transition. A new vote must take place by 31 January 2027.
The intervention removes the FIGC Federal Council from office. Its remaining bodies will be confined to routine administrative work until the election settles the federation’s leadership.
Malagò won the presidency in June with 68.58% of the vote, while Giancarlo Abete received 29.17%. The ballot, held on 22 June, came under scrutiny after Renato Miele, a former Lazio player who had hoped to stand, raised questions about whether Malagò was properly affiliated to the federation when he submitted his candidacy.
Four legal assessments commissioned by the Olympic Committee concluded that an irregularity may have existed. The FIGC sought five further opinions, which argued that registration was not an essential eligibility condition and that any formal challenge had arrived too late.
Despite the renewed vote, Malagò is viewed as the leading contender to retain the post and may yet face no opponent, although the final electoral field has not been established.
A federation unsettled again
Malagò’s initial election was meant to mark a reset after Gabriele Gravina stepped down. Gravina’s tenure ended in the shadow of Italy’s failure to reach a third successive World Cup and criticism that deeper reform of the domestic game had not followed.
The latest upheaval arrives as the national side has shown signs of recovery under Roberto Mancini. Italy drew 1-1 with France at Saint-Denis before beating Turkey 2-1 in their two most recent Nations League fixtures, but the administrative uncertainty at the federation has again placed the wider Italian game under an unwelcome spotlight.
