Italy avoids FIGC commissioner move as Buonfiglio rules out intervention
CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio has ruled out appointing a commissioner to run the FIGC, easing immediate fears of UEFA sanctions and keeping Italy’s Euro 2032 co-hosting plans on track.
Italy’s Olympic committee has moved to calm a fast-growing governance crisis in football by ruling out extraordinary administration of the FIGC, a step that had been viewed as a potential trigger for UEFA sanctions.CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio said he will not appoint a special commissioner to take control of the Italian federation, a mechanism available in serious cases but rarely used due to the political and regulatory implications.Buonfiglio told reporters: “Neither the right nor the left wing influences me. I was elected to enforce the rules, and the first person who must abide by them is myself. When the conditions were in place for appointing a commissioner, I did so. Today, they are not. I am proud to be the CONI President and honoured to represent all sporting bodies. At the same time, while I represent and support them, I must also oversee them, but that does not mean I have to act like a sheriff.”The statement matters commercially because a commissioner-led intervention would have raised questions over Italian football’s autonomy, a core requirement in UEFA governance that can carry sporting and financial consequences for clubs and competitions.The issue has sharpened since FIGC president Gabriele Gravina stepped down following Italy’s World Cup play-off elimination and called elections for June 22, leaving a leadership vacuum as the system handles a refereeing scandal and wider reform pressure.The commissioner scenario had also heightened concern around Italy’s role as Euro 2032 co-host, where delivery credibility is already under scrutiny due to stadium readiness and long lead-times for public-private infrastructure projects.Government sources said: “We need to stop saying that politics wants to get its hand on football. There is no intention of imposing political control through a commissioner. What is needed, however, are immediate and effective answers and reforms. We are waiting to understand what course of action will be taken.”The message from Rome adds a second layer of pressure on football authorities, signalling that avoiding formal intervention does not remove expectations of rapid structural change across governance, integrity processes and operational oversight.Any reform package also intersects with the economics of Italian football, where investor confidence, sponsorship stability and event-hosting credibility depend on predictable regulation and clear lines of accountability.The next steps are the FIGC election process ahead of June 22 and whether the federation presents credible reforms on integrity and governance that satisfy both domestic stakeholders and UEFA’s autonomy requirements.