Official: Galliani backed by Players and Coaches to be new FIGC President

CAGLIARI, ITALY - NOVEMBER 26: Adriano Galliani of Monza looks on during the Serie A TIM match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Monza at Sardegna Arena on November 26, 2023 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

Adriano Galliani is one step closer to becoming the new FIGC President after the Players’ Association and Coaches’ Association voted to make him a candidate running against Giovanni Malagò.

Italian football thought it had found some sort of stability in June when Malagò won a landslide election, beating Giancarlo Abete with 68.58 per cent of the vote.

However, that election was declared null and void when it emerged Malagò was technically ineligible because he was not at the time a registered member of the FIGC, having arrived from the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee).

Galliani to run against Malagò

The Federation was therefore placed under a Special Commissioner on October 6, who bizarrely enough was also Malagò, until a fresh election could be held on December 14.

It was assumed at the time that Malagò would run unopposed, but the coalition that backed him the first time has fractured over the last four months.

Some Serie A clubs have split off from the pack, while today the Players’ Association and Coaches’ Association both voted to support Galliani instead as their candidate.

This was confirmed in a statement released by the AIC and AIAC, who “consider this election an important opportunity in terms of the choice, history, experience and results on the field achieved by Galliani as a director.

“He is now ready to share an open and progressive vision for the Federation to pursue reforms that can no longer be deferred.”

Galliani was the CEO of Milan under Silvio Berlusconi for over 30 years from 1986 to 2017, then had a similar role when the patron took over at Monza from 2018 to 2025.

The 82-year-old was the President of the Lega Calcio from 2002 to 2006 and vice-president of the Lega Serie A from 2013 to 2017.

Galliani was also a Senator in the Italian Republic from 2018 to 2022, then again from 2023 to the present day for Berlusconi’s Forza Italia political party.