Serie A has placed itself firmly alongside Giovanni Malagò, with league president Ezio Maria Simonelli presenting the support as a continuation of a position already taken by the top-flight clubs.
Speaking at the presentation of the annual report by the independent commission overseeing costs in professional football and basketball, Simonelli said the league’s backing for the former CONI president was clear. He described Malagò as the figure identified to help revive Italian football.
Quick facts
- Simonelli said 19 of Serie A’s 20 clubs voted for Malagò.
- He said support subsequently arrived from other parts of the game.
- The Serie A president praised a more open and competitive league season.
- He credited the Orsato protocol and the meeting in Lissone for helping create greater consistency in refereeing.
- Simonelli also backed Italy coach Mancini’s selection of younger players, including footballers based abroad.
“It is almost unnecessary to ask,” Simonelli said when questioned about Malagò’s situation. “Serie A chose Malagò as the leading person to lift Italian football again. Nineteen clubs out of 20 voted for him, and other components then joined them.”
His conclusion was equally direct: Serie A remains at Malagò’s side. It is a statement that gives the league’s institutional weight to a debate extending beyond any one Sunday fixture, into the direction of Italian football itself.
Simonelli also offered an upbeat reading of the current championship. In his view, Serie A is producing more entertainment across matches and retaining its tension deeper into the campaign, with major outcomes frequently decided late.
He pointed to the reduced number of scoreless draws as one sign of a more attractive competition. “We are offering an increasingly better product,” he said, describing a league in which the race remains alive until the closing stages.
On refereeing, Simonelli said the Orsato protocol had made a significant contribution. He stressed that it had been agreed with the league and judged its effect positively.
The meeting held in Lissone was another important step, he added, because it established a shared interest in more uniform decision-making. For clubs, coaches and players, consistency is part of the season’s wider demand for a credible framework around the matches.
Simonelli closed with support for the Italy national team and coach Mancini. He praised the coach’s willingness to call up numerous young players, including those playing outside Italy.
“We must send Mancini our best wishes,” Simonelli said. “Everyone is ready to support Italy.” He added that he would attend three of the national side’s four matches, presenting that presence as Serie A’s backing for the Azzurri.
