Malagò faces commissioner threat despite FIGC re-election

The FIGC president was re-elected in June with almost 70% of the vote, but a technicality could still see the federation placed under commissioner rule. Lawyers appointed by CONI have found that registered membership of the sporting world is a mandatory requirement for candidacy, and it will fall to CONI itself to rule on the case.

He traced the roots of the dispute back to 2018, when the Lotti law, passed under the Gentiloni government, first imposed term limits on federation presidents. The rule was later softened for federal presidents, but no extension followed for Malagò's own position at CONI, and the governments of Conte, Draghi and Meloni have each continued to press for legislative intervention in sports governance, including through the state-owned company Sport e Salute.

The case has drawn attention from clubs across Europe. At the European Football Clubs assembly in Copenhagen, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin dismissed the affair, while Porto's Villas Boas said Italian football remains a force to be reckoned with. Officials from Inter, Atalanta, Roma, Juventus, Fiorentina, Genoa and Monza were all present in Copenhagen as the matter was discussed. If CONI does move to commissioner rule despite the scale of Malagò's election mandate, the row threatens to overshadow the momentum built by the national side, whose 4-0 win in Turkey has offered fresh hope of a return to the top level.