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2026 FIFA World Cup
11MAY

Italy two votes from a pre-vote majority

4 min read
10:30UTC

Giovanni Malagò met Lega B on 6 May and Lega Pro on 8 May; on 10 May he told LaPresse he was 'getting ready' for the 13 May declaration deadline, with 48% of the FIGC assembly already confirmed and a further 18% signalling support.

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Key takeaway

Two undeclared leagues hold the votes that would resolve Italy's federation race before 13 May.

Giovanni Malagò, president of CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee), met Lega B on 6 May and Lega Pro on 8 May by videoconference, the two professional divisions whose combined 18% of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC, the national governing body for the game in Italy) assembly vote would push him past 50% before any ballot is cast. Both leagues signalled support, yet neither has formally declared. On 10 May, Malagò told LaPresse he was "getting ready" with the "formal and bureaucratic aspects" sorted, and hoped stakeholders would offer views before the 13 May declaration deadline for the 22 June FIGC Federal Council vote. 1 He has not himself filed.

The arithmetic he is closing on: Serie A 18%, the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC, the Union for professional players) 20%, the Italian Coaches' Association (AIAC, the Union for managers and trainers) 10%. Total confirmed bloc 48% , . Lega B adds 6%, Lega Pro 12%. If both confirm in the next two days, the 22 June Federal Council vote becomes ceremonial. Two videoconferences in three days, no press, no debate, yet a fifth of the FIGC assembly has effectively moved. Giancarlo Abete, the former FIGC president, has confirmed he will file regardless on the 34% Lega Dilettanti bloc and is contesting the same swing votes Malagò is now trying to lock down.

The sequencing matters because Malagò's pitch rests on parliamentary access. Three reforms he has signalled, the reinstatement of the Growth Decree, the repeal of the 2018 gambling sponsorship ban, and a 1.0% betting turnover levy, all require legislative votes . The clubs that chose him want a federation president who can move a bill, not a former player whose authority is sentimental. The government's preferred Maldini or Del Piero candidacies ran into the institutional reality that the next president will inherit Italian football's €5.5bn debt position and three reform proposals already written into the parliamentary record by Gabriele Gravina.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Italy's football federation, the FIGC, needs a new president after the last one resigned in April. The election happens on 22 June. Giovanni Malagò, who runs Italy's Olympic committee, is the frontrunner backed by Serie A clubs. His rival is Giancarlo Abete, a former FIGC president backed by amateur football. Malagò needs more than 50% of votes to win outright. He has 48% confirmed and is trying to lock down two more leagues before the 13 May deadline to declare his candidacy. If he gets their support, the election could be over before it starts.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Italian football's €5.5bn aggregate debt, documented in the Gravina report presented to the Federal Council in February 2026, has made the FIGC presidency a legislative rather than administrative role.

Three of the reforms Malagò has signalled (Growth Decree reinstatement, gambling ban repeal, and a 1.0% betting turnover levy) require parliamentary bills, not federation bylaw changes. The 13 May declaration deadline forces the candidacy question before the 22 June vote, meaning clubs are choosing a legislative lobbyist rather than a federation administrator in the conventional sense.

The growth in the Lega B and Lega Pro voting weights under the 2021 electoral statute reform also shifted power away from the LND bloc that Abete commands. Abete's 34% LND base was sufficient to threaten a multi-ballot election under the old weighting; under the revised statute it is sufficient only if Malagò fails to consolidate the professional leagues.

What could happen next?
  • Consequence

    If Lega B and Lega Pro declare for Malagò before 13 May, Abete's 34% LND bloc cannot prevent a first-ballot majority and the election resolves before debate begins.

    Immediate · 0.75
  • Risk

    If Malagò cannot deliver the Growth Decree through parliament after winning, the clubs that chose him over Abete will have no institutional mechanism to reverse their decision for at least four years.

    Medium term · 0.65
  • Opportunity

    A Malagò presidency backed by a parliamentary relationship could unlock the €200m annual gambling-sponsorship revenue stream frozen since 2018, materially reducing aggregate Serie A debt service costs.

    Medium term · 0.6
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