Full Breakdown
FIGC Leadership Crisis Resolved with Giovanni Malagò as Emergency Commissioner
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) executive committee voted unanimously to place the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) under administration and appointed its current president, Giovanni Malagò, as emergency commissioner. The move follows the discovery that Malagò was not a registered FIGC member at the time of his June election, rendering the result technically irregular. While the election result was annulled, the compromise—reached in a last-minute meeting between Malagò and CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio—allows Malagò to retain leadership on an interim basis pending a new election.
Background and Historical Precedent
This is the ninth occasion since World War II that the FIGC has been placed under a commissioner. The most recent prior instance occurred after Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, when Roberto Fabbricini was appointed on February 1, 2018 by a CONI board chaired by Malagò himself. That administration lasted until October 22 of the same year, when Gabriele Gravina was elected.
Timeline of Recent Developments
- June (2026) – Malagò won the FIGC presidency with 68.58 % of the vote, defeating Giancarlo Abete (29.17 %).
- Early October 2026 – CONI’s executive committee convened and, after the technical issue was raised, approved Malagò’s appointment as commissioner.
- Late October 2026 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin warned Italian authorities that removing Malagò could constitute political interference.
- Upcoming (scheduled for around June 22, 2027) – A new electoral assembly is expected, with Malagò positioned as the sole candidate to avoid further disruption. The election is projected to occur within 60–90 days of the assembly’s convocation, in line with FIGC statutes.
Data & Statistics
- Election result: 343,084 votes (68.58 %) for Malagò; 145,936 votes (29.17 %) for Abete; 2.25 % blank ballots.
- Delegates present at the June vote: 266.
- This marks the ninth post-war commissioner appointment for the FIGC.
- The 2018 commissioner’s term spanned from February 1 to October 22 of that year.
Official Statements & Responses
- CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio negotiated the compromise that enabled Malagò to become commissioner while remaining eligible for future election.
- UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin cautioned that any removal of Malagò could be viewed as undue political interference in football governance.
- The FIGC Statute (Article 21, paragraph 4) requires at least a sixty-day notice before convening an electoral assembly and a forty-day deadline for candidate submissions, procedures that will guide the upcoming election.
The interim arrangement aims to restore stable governance to the FIGC while preparing for a swift, uncontested election later this year.
