Torino president Urbano Cairo has warned that Italian football faces an “emergency” that cannot wait for long-term solutions, criticising a proposed reset of the national team structure as overly ambitious. Speaking after a presentation by FIGC president Giovanni Malagò and technical director Paolo Maldini to Lega Serie A clubs, Cairo insisted that the first 100 days of any new regime are “decisive” and called for faster action to address the country’s declining fortunes.
The project, unveiled to representatives of all 20 top-flight clubs alongside special advisor Leonardo, aims to completely overhaul Italian football. It includes appointing a new national team coach, establishing a clear identity, and setting fresh guidelines for youth academies. However, the timeline has drawn scrutiny from Cairo, who believes the sport’s governing body must act within months rather than years.
Cairo Urges Compressed Timeline
“I confirm my respect for Malagò, while Maldini and Leonardo made a very good impression, but we need to do things more quickly,” Cairo told reporters. “As with every activity, the first 100 days are decisive. So we need to speed things up here.”
The Torino chief suggested that Malagò should look to compress the recovery plan into a two-to-four year window rather than the longer timeframe currently envisaged. He drew a parallel with Carlo Tavecchio’s election as FIGC President in 2014, noting that despite early difficulties, Tavecchio’s decision to appoint Antonio Conte as coach provided immediate momentum. “Malagò has to be careful, because the difficult choices are made by the President,” Cairo added.
EURO 2032 Target Meets World Cup Failure Context
Malagò’s presentation outlined ambitions extending to EURO 2032, which Italy will co-host with Turkey. This suggests a project lasting approximately six years. Cairo argued that this is insufficiently urgent given that Italy have missed the last three World Cup tournaments.
“It’s almost better for them to inherit such a negative situation, I experienced that by buying businesses that were on the brink of bankruptcy,” Cairo remarked. “What we have here is an emergency, not something to be resolved in eight to 10 years.”
The intervention highlights growing tension within Italian football over how to reverse the Azzurri’s slide from international prominence. While Malagò and Maldini advocate for methodical structural reform targeting the 2032 European Championship on home soil, influential club figures are demanding swifter results to restore Italy’s competitive standing.