Malagò and Abete file to run for FIGC presidency

Giovanni Malagò and Giancarlo Abete have lodged their paperwork to stand for the presidency of the Italian football federation, setting up a two-horse contest that will decide the next governance model for Italian football and its commercial strategy.The election is scheduled for June 22, with the federation due to confirm the admissibility of the candidacies by May 22 before the official programmes are published.Abete, a former federation president and current head of Italy’s amateur league, positioned his bid as an institutional continuity option that is not dependent on bloc power.Abete said: “I represent a significant continuity within the Federation, which is not based on strong powers, but on a certain coherence and certain behaviours. I am calm and confident in myself.”Malagò, the former president of the Italian Olympic Committee, has already assembled a broader coalition across the professional game and key stakeholder groups, putting him in pole position ahead of the weighted vote.Malagò said: “I have submitted the formal part with all the documentation, making sure that everything has been done correctly.”The contest will be decided by an electoral college in which different components carry different voting weight, with the amateur league holding the largest share, followed by the players’ union and the top division.That structure makes alliance-building the core battleground, particularly among the semi-professional and development layers that can swing the total away from the preferences of the biggest clubs.The next president inherits a federation under pressure to rebuild credibility and competitiveness after Italy’s recent international failures, with knock-on effects for sponsor confidence, grassroots investment and the long-term attractiveness of domestic competitions.Both candidates are expected to pitch plans that touch professional league governance, technical development, disciplinary credibility and national-team strategy, areas that also influence commercial negotiations around media rights, partnerships and federation funding.The federation’s decision to publish approved candidacies and then release the candidates’ programmes later this month is set to sharpen the campaigning window, with the final vote landing just as clubs plan summer budgets and sporting projects.A decision on eligibility is due by May 22, with the presidential election set for June 22.