Giovanni Malagò has consolidated a significant advantage in the race to become the next president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), receiving the official endorsement of the nation's players' and coaches' unions. The backing from the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) and the Italian Football Coaches' Association (AIAC) was announced to the ANSA news agency just weeks before the May 13 deadline for formal candidacies, ahead of the federation's elective assembly on June 22.
In a joint statement, the two unions declared they had identified Malagò as the person capable of responding to the many challenges facing Italian football. They cited important convergences on key programmatic points, including Club Italia, sustainability and reforms, the sporting project, and women's football. The unions stated that this shared vision, building on the initial impulse from Serie A clubs that had already indicated support for Malagò, offers guarantees in a delicate period for the federation.
Malagò, the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), responded to the endorsement by telling ANSA he accepted the position of the players and coaches with great satisfaction. He thanked them for their trust, which he said further obligated him in his considerations for the candidacy. Malagò added that he intends to resolve his final reservations by the end of next week out of respect for scheduled meetings with the Serie B and Serie C assemblies.
This latest development theoretically brings Malagò's support to approximately 47 percent of the weighted electoral college, according to analysis of the federation's complex voting system. His advantage is built on the 17.1 percent attributed to Serie A, despite the reported opposition of Lazio president Claudio Lotito, and the combined 30 percent share held by the players' and coaches' unions. The support was further bolstered by Serie A's governing body, Lega Serie A, which welcomed the unions' stance as an important signal of unity and responsibility.
His main rival, former FIGC president Giancarlo Abete, currently relies on the strength of the National Amateur League (LND), which holds 34 percent of the vote and of which he is president. However, internal divisions within the amateur body are said to reduce his secure base to around 25 percent, widening Malagò's apparent lead. The positions of Serie B, which holds 6 percent of the vote, and Serie C, with 12 percent, remain decisive, with both leagues set to meet the candidates in the coming days.
The FIGC electoral system allocates votes based on a weighted distribution among its components. Delegates from Serie A hold 18 percent of the total voting power, followed by the LND at 34 percent, the players' union at 20 percent, Serie C at 12 percent, the coaches' union at 10 percent, and Serie B at 6 percent. The president is elected by a simple majority of valid votes in a secret electronic ballot. With the candidacy deadline approaching, the contest remains formally open, but the current equilibrium appears to lean decisively in Malagò's favor.
