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Malago Emerges as Frontrunner for FIGC

2 min read
19:23UTC

An extraordinary assembly of 274 delegates will elect a new federation president on 22 June, but the Italian government may not wait that long.

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Key takeaway

The government may bypass the June election by appointing Malago commissioner to accelerate reform.

The FIGC scheduled an extraordinary assembly of 274 delegates for 22 June to elect a new president. 1 No permanent head coach can be appointed before that date, extending the institutional freeze through the entire pre-summer window.

Giovanni Malago, the former CONI chief who organised the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, is the leading candidate. 2 The Italian government, led by Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, is considering a faster route: bypassing the election entirely by appointing Malago as commissioner. "Italian soccer needs to be overhauled, and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC," Abodi said. 3 The commissioner route has precedent ; after the 2018 failure, Roberto Fabbricini was appointed before Gravina's election.

Silvio Baldini will manage Italy's June friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece as interim coach. The 22 June date creates a structural bottleneck: whoever wins the presidency inherits Ceferin's Euro 2032 ultimatum with four months to act on it.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

After Gravina resigned, someone needs to run Italian football. The most likely candidate is Giovanni Malagò, who previously ran Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI) and helped organise the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. The normal process is an election by 274 football federation delegates on 22 June. But the government may skip that and appoint Malagò directly as a commissioner, which is faster but removes the democratic element. This matters because no permanent coach can be hired until whoever wins the top job is in place.

What could happen next?
  • Consequence

    The 22 June election date means no permanent coach for the full pre-tournament summer window, leaving Italy without settled leadership into August 2026.

  • Risk

    A commissioner appointment without an election could trigger delegate bloc opposition, delaying the Euro 2032 stadium nomination process further.

Sources:Al Jazeera·CBS Sports
Mentions:Giovanni Malagò →FIGC →CONI →Silvio Baldini →Andrea Abodi →Greece →Italy →Euro 2032 →Prima →World Cup →Giovanni Malago →
First Reported In

Update #5 · Italy Empties Its Federation in 48 Hours

Al Jazeera· 5 Apr 2026
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