Common Questions

What is Lega Pro in Italian football?: Lega Pro governs Serie C, Italy's third tier of professional football, with approximately 60 clubs. It controls 12% of FIGC assembly votes. President Matteo Marani met FIGC frontrunner Giovanni Malagò on 8 May 2026 and signalled support.
Which candidate does Lega Pro support in the 2026 FIGC election?: Lega Pro's voting bloc is aligned with Giancarlo Abete's candidacy in the 22 June 2026 FIGC presidential election, adding to the Lega Dilettanti's 34% base and counterbalancing Malagò's Serie A 18%.Source: ANSA
How many clubs are in Lega Pro Italy?: Lega Pro comprises approximately 60 professional clubs competing across three groups. It represents the third tier of Italian professional football between Serie B and the amateur Lega Dilettanti.Source: Lega Pro
How does Lega Pro's vote affect the FIGC election?: Lega Pro controls 12% of FIGC assembly votes. If Marani delivers this to Malagò alongside Lega B's 6%, Malagò's confirmed 48% rises to 66% — a commanding pre-vote majority. As of 11 May, no formal declaration had been made.Source: Lowdown
Who is Matteo Marani?: Matteo Marani is the president of Lega Pro, Italy's Serie C governing body. He met FIGC presidential candidate Giovanni Malagò by videoconference on 8 May 2026 and signalled support ahead of the 13 May candidacy deadline.Source: Lowdown

Background

Lega Pro is the governing body for Serie C, Italy's third tier of professional football, comprising approximately 60 clubs across three geographic groups. It is affiliated with the FIGC and controls 12% of the Federal Council votes. President: Matteo Marani. Lega Pro administers youth development pathways and manages the financial and sporting regulations for Italy's semi-professional football sector.

Lega Pro's 12% FIGC vote became a key variable in the presidential race following Gravina's resignation. On 8 May 2026, president Matteo Marani held a videoconference with FIGC frontrunner Giovanni Malagò. Marani signalled support without a formal declaration. Combined with Lega B's 6%, a Lega Pro endorsement would push Malagò to 66% — above any rival's ceiling. Lega Pro had previously been characterised as leaning toward Abete; Marani's meeting with Malagò suggests the alignment is more fluid.

How the World Sees Them

Didier Deschamps / France

Everything's fine

FIFA / Gianni Infantino

Iran will be at the World Cup, for sure. Sports should be outside of politics.

Carlo Ancelotti / Brazil CBF

No regrets about taking an injured forward

FFIRI / Mehdi Taj

Expects US visas on Friday 5 June

UNITE HERE Local 11

Local 11 has widened its dispute with FIFA from the original Immigration and Customs Enforcement carve-out to four explicit demands, filed an NLRB charge and a California AG complaint naming FIFA as co-respondent on Friday 8 May, and rallied with gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer on Tuesday 19 May. The union's framing is that FIFA's silence is now the headline.

Giovanni Malagò / Italian Serie A clubs

Malagò filed his FIGC presidential candidacy on Thursday 14 May with a confirmed bloc past 50 per cent of the assembly vote after Lega B and Lega Pro declared for him before the Wednesday 13 May deadline. The professional clubs back him on the explicit basis that the three reforms Italian football needs all require parliamentary access only he can deliver.

FIFA

FIFA has not responded to UNITE HERE Local 11's filings since Friday 8 May, has not commented on Kroenke Sports & Entertainment's position, and has not addressed the California Consumer Privacy Act accreditation question. The opening ceremony confirmation on Monday 11 May was treated as the editorial pivot for the SoFi venue.

Thomas Tuchel / The Football Association

Tuchel reversed three windows of Alexander-Arnold exclusion when England's right-back options collapsed (Ben White knee, Tino Livramento unavailable, Reece James fragile), citing the team's structural need. He has publicly said Bellingham will travel if at all fit, accepting the risk of a hamstring described by Real Madrid medical staff as worse than first feared.

Didier Deschamps / Fédération Française de Football

Deschamps treated the Camavinga omission as a tactical and balance decision in his Thursday 14 May TF1 announcement, with Mbappé reconfirmed as captain. He has framed this World Cup as his last in charge, lending the final 26 the editorial weight of a personal closing statement.