News Focus
- The FIGC presidential election will take place on June 22 at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel
- Giancarlo Abete enjoys backing from the amateur league, while Giovanni Malagò has Serie A support
- Malagò proposes incentives for clubs fielding young Italian talent and a national stadium construction plan
- The winner will lead efforts to modernise training facilities and potentially reduce the number of professional clubs
- Inter Milan chief Beppe Marotta and Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini are candidates for federation council positions
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is preparing to select a new president. Two candidates have officially entered the race to lead the governing body of calcio.
Giancarlo Abete and Giovanni Malagò will face voters on June 22. The election will take place at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Both men submitted their candidacy papers before the required deadline, which fell 40 days prior to the vote.
Abete receives support from the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti, the organisation that oversees amateur football in Italy. Malagò, meanwhile, has secured the backing of Lega Serie A, the top-flight division.
The rivals have published their manifestos outlining plans for the sport. Malagò wants to create a reward system for Serie A sides that give playing time to young Italian footballers. He also backs a nationwide scheme to build modern stadiums and training centres across the country.
His proposal includes cutting the number of clubs in the league system. He also suggests forming a specialist management group to run Club Italia, the section that supports the national team.
The ballot will also decide new members of the federation council. Among those seeking posts are Beppe Marotta, president of Inter Milan, and Giorgio Chiellini, who now works as a director at Juventus.