FIGC, president election: Abete-Malagò challenge, today’s news

Former president Gabriele Gravina then took the floor: “My step back today serves to stimulate reflections, but the problems of Italian football cannot be solved by changing the president of the FIGC. They will be solved with a courageous reform of the championships, with serious investments in the nurseries, with politics that wants to be partners and not parties, with federal components that choose the common good first and foremost. I have always operated with a single beacon: the protection of Italian football, from the base of the pyramid to the top of the national team. On the level sporting and managerial, for too long we have underestimated the reference framework, seeking strategic steps that are too tied to ‘instant teams’ and not enough to investments. We have misjudged our choices: rushing those of perspective and delaying the structural ones. I leave the Federation with the clear conscience of someone who has given everything, even making mistakes, but without ever backing down.

Fans protest in front of hotel ‘For fair and popular football’

Meanwhile, in front of the hotel where the Elective Assembly of the Football Federation is taking place which will have to choose the president, the protest is taking place complete with a banner from the group of fans who last Thursday presented in the Senate the approximately 143 thousand signatures collected throughout Italy for the petition ‘For fair and popular football’. With the cry of “free away games for all”, “The games at three” and “we are football”, around fifty fans of the various Italian Curves stood in front of the hotel entrance to make their voices heard. (WATCH THE VIDEO)

Abete-Malagò handshake before the start

Before the start of the meeting, smiles and handshakes between the two candidates. Upon his arrival, Malagò, seeing the gathering of journalists at the entrance of the hotel, limited himself to a joke: “and then they say that football is not popular”.

“Every time you are eliminated from the World Cup, sacrificing the president and thinking of continuing in the same way without assuming responsibility is not good for the world of football”, underlined Abete upon his arrival. “It would be incredible if after the resignation of President Gravina the same federal council was reconstituted without having a discussion on the contents. The problem is not the quality of the person, because Giovanni Malagò is a person of great quality”, added Abete.

Entering the Assembly, Sara Gama, AIC vice-president and FIGC federal councilor, also spoke. “Me vice-president? I’m not talking about roles, there are many things to do and also those I do with the Footballers’ Association. Now the important thing is that things get done. We are all available as Footballers’ Associations.” Then to those who asked him about the importance of a technical director in solving the problems of Italian football he replied: “footballers are always available to do everything. But one figure is not enough to solve the problems of Italian football. We need several in many roles, we must work together”.