FIGC Presidential elections: Decisive day for the future of Italian football

A decisive vote to elect a new President of the Italian FA (FIGC) will take place on Monday as Giancarlo Abete and Giovanni Malago go head-to-head to lead the new era of football in Italy.

Gabriele Gravina resigned from his position as President of the FIGC immediately after Italy’s World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March, which cost the national team a spot at the World Cup for the third tournament cycle in a row.

Gennaro Gattuso also walked away from his position as head coach of the national team and Gianluigi Buffon stepped down as delegation chief, but the FIGC have been unable to appoint permanent replacements until a new President is elected.

The election to appoint a new President of the FIGC will take place on Monday at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, Italy.

Malago, 67, previously served as the President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) from 2013 until 2025 and is the leading candidate to take over as FIGC President ahead of Monday’s vote according to the morning newspapers.

Abete, 75, is his opponent. The current President of the National Amateur Leagues (LND) previously held the role of FIGC President between 2007 and 2014 and is running for a second term.

The election will be decided by a total of 516 votes. Below is a breakdown of the voting shares within Italy’s footballing ecosystem:

Serie A: 20 delegates, 18% of votes

Serie B: 20 delegates, 6% of votes

Lega Pro (Serie C): 57 delegates, 12% of votes

LND: 99 delegates, 34% of votes

Players’ Association: 52 delegates, 20% of votes

Coaches’ Association: 26 delegates, 10% of votes

Both Abete and Malago are expected to present their programmes at the FIGC Assembly in Italy on Monday before the vote takes place. The voting will be done electronically and in secret.

Whoever comes away with ‘50% plus one’ of the votes will be appointed as the new President of the FIGC.