Italian Football Federation under Olympic guardianship

Rome (AFP) – The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was placed under the guardianship of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) on Tuesday, but Giovanni Malagò will remain in charge following a settlement that ended a dispute surrounding his election as federation president last June.

As the Italian national team began to regain its footing with a 3-1 victory over Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, following a 1-1 draw with France at the Stade de France three days prior, the Italian Football Federation avoided a new crisis that could have hindered its rebuilding efforts.

Under an agreement reached with Italian Olympic Committee President Luciano Galliano and approved by the CONI executive board, Malagò will remain the top figure in Italian football, albeit temporarily, holding the title of “Special Commissioner” of the Italian Football Federation.

A brief statement from the Italian Olympic Committee clarified that “President Galliano proposed to the executive board placing the Italian Football Federation under guardianship and appointing Giovanni Malagò to this role, with new elections to be held no later than January 31, 2027.”

Malagò succeeded Gabriele Gravina last June, who resigned after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on March 31.

However, his election, secured with 68.6 percent of the votes, was challenged by a lawyer who asserted that Malagò did not hold membership in the Italian Football Federation at the time of the election, as required by the federation’s statutes. Both the federation and the Olympic Committee launched investigations into the matter but reached different conclusions; initially, the Olympic Committee deemed Malagò’s election invalid.