Giovanni Malagò elected new Italian football federation president with 68.6 percent of the vote

The election result

Giovanni Malagò has been elected president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) with a clear mandate. At Monday's elective assembly in Rome, 245 delegates cast their votes by secret electronic ballot: Malagò received 343,084 preferences (68.58 percent), while his rival Giancarlo Abete obtained 145,936 votes (29.17 percent). Blank ballots accounted for the remaining 2.25 percent, or 11,272 votes. The former head of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) succeeds Gabriele Gravina, who resigned eighty-three days earlier after Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Malagò’s vision for a new era

Addressing the assembly before the vote, an emotional Malagò called for unity and a break with the past. "I've always had one single goal: making Italy great," he said, recalling his tenures at Circolo Canottieri Aniene, CONI and the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation. "I think, in some way, those backing me believe that what I managed to achieve can be repeated with the FIGC."

I am not a 'black pope.' I feel like a son, a brother and a father to each of you. We lose together, and if we win, we win together. Otherwise we won't get anywhere.

He described the challenge as "extremely difficult," noting the federation has two and a half years of sporting legislature remaining and roughly one year of political legislature with which it must mend relations. Drawing on his earlier successes, he promised to make stakeholders "proud to head into this new era of Italian football" and asked delegates to set personal interests aside.

Gravina’s farewell and criticism of government

Outgoing president Gabriele Gravina delivered an at times bitter farewell address that drew a standing ovation. "I felt the duty to prevent the FIGC from being dragged into a vortex. I stepped back to stimulate reflection and reinforce a path of regeneration," he said. He pointed to the missed World Cup qualifications, slow reform pace and what he called "deep gaps" in the referees' association, while wishing the next president better luck.

To fund youth academies, the government hasn't spent a euro. They got it wrong and did harm to football.

Gravina also took aim at the executive for striking down, a week earlier, the only legislative provision that guaranteed a small share of general mutuality for youth development and federal centres.

Immediate next steps

The new president's calendar is already filling up. On Tuesday 23 June Malagò travels to Lausanne for an extraordinary session of the International Olympic Committee, of which he remains a member. He returns to Rome on Thursday 25 June. His first FIGC federal council meeting, devoted to league registrations, is already set for 1 July. The hunt for a new national team head coach will follow soon after.