Giovanni Malagò, recently elected president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), will hold his first federal council meeting today, with the appointment of a national team technical director high on the agenda. While no immediate decisions regarding the national team coach are expected, Malagò intends to appoint the technical director before deciding on the future of the head coach position.
Paolo Maldini is the primary target for the technical director role, though he has yet to express firm interest in the position. Should Maldini decline, the FIGC will consider either Frederic Massara, currently without a club, or a more politically experienced figure like Alessandro Costacurta or Demetrio Albertini. Gianluigi Buffon is also being considered for a role focused on developing young players.
For the position of national team coach, the frontrunners are Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte. Mancini is reportedly Malagò’s preferred choice, but some of Italy’s major clubs favor Conte, potentially to remove him as a competitor in Serie A. The decision is not expected imminently, with a resolution anticipated around mid-July.
The council meeting will also address Serie C league registrations, with the readmission of Foggia in place of Ternana expected to be certified by the end of July. Ternana will restart in Serie D following a merger with Orvietana, while Rimini will move up from Eccellenza. The potential commissariat of the Italian Referees Association (AIA) is not currently on the agenda. Marco Brunelli has been confirmed as the FIGC’s general secretary.
Malagò’s decisions regarding both the technical director and national team coach are expected to define the direction of the FIGC under his leadership.
