CONI calls October 6 meeting to decide FIGC fate; Lega Pro backs Malagò
Italy's Olympic Committee will convene on October 6 to decide whether to place the Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, FIGC) under emergency management, following the disputed election of Giovanni Malagò as federal president. The ruling could remove Malagò from office and install a government-appointed commissioner — but only if the vote concludes in favor of intervention.
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio announced the timetable: the Giunta will meet at 13:00 on Tuesday, followed by the Consiglio Nazionale. The sessions will evaluate whether Malagò's failure to register with a football club before standing for election constitutes a grave administrative violation warranting the FIGC's takeover.
Four legal opinions, one conclusion
Buonfiglio told reporters in Rome that CONI had commissioned four legal opinions from outside experts, and that their findings were "granitici" — rock-solid. The jurists — Franco Gaetano Scoca, Massimo Coccia, Luigi Medugno and Alberto Angeletti — concur that registration was a prerequisite for both candidacy and election.
CONI's president said he would distribute the documentation to every member of the Giunta and Consiglio in advance, adding that his role as public official obligated him to ensure "no one can say they weren't informed in time."
"We are called to decide without ifs or buts," Buonfiglio said. "It is necessary to restore ethics and respect for the rules — we have this duty because we fill our mouths with these values, but when it comes to concrete matters we don't have the courage and consistency to apply them."
FIGC prepares counter-arguments
The football federation has not accepted the legal conclusions. FIGC sources confirmed that five experts — jurists and university professors — are preparing counter-opinions. The federation's legal team argues that registration was not an essential requirement for election, that grounds for commissionership do not exist, and that according to CONI regulations, the deadline to challenge Malagò's election has already expired.
The Italian Football Federation elected Malagò on June 22, 2026, with 68.58% of the vote following Gabriele Gravina's resignation.
Lega Pro assembly: unanimous opposition
In Florence, the Lega Pro assembly voted unanimously against any commissionership. Club representatives expressed "closeness" to Malagò, who attended the meeting alongside CAN C leaders Domenico Messina and Nicola Ayroldi.
Lega Pro President Matteo Marani, who has previously called commissionership "a trauma for football," presented results from the league's salary cap — the first season without increased player compensation — as evidence of improving financial stability.
Malagò thanked the assembly, calling Serie C clubs "a solid foundation of Italian football" and pledging FIGC support.
Bianchedi resignation clears vote
Diana Bianchedi resigned September 30 as head of delegation for Italy's national football team, a role she had held since August 9. The two-time Olympic fencing champion stepped down after Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi questioned her vote dissenting from Buonfiglio on a separate commissionership case involving the weightlifting federation.
With her resignation, Bianchedi — who remains CONI's vice president — is no longer in a conflict of interest. Under Article 7.4 of CONI's statute, members must abstain from voting on matters touching their interests. Now she can participate in the October 6 vote on FIGC's fate.
ANAC, Italy's anti-corruption authority, had opened a vigilance file on whether her dual roles violated incompatibility rules under Legislative Decree 39/2013. Those regulations require officials to choose between public and private-sector appointments within fifteen days.
Abodi and Malagò trade words
The minister's comments sparked a verbal clash with Malagò. The FIGC president called Abodi's remarks "unconventional, ungrammatical, out of place."
"I don't think it's possible to give her wrong," Malagò said, referring to Bianchedi's decision to resign.
Abodi responded: "I have no enemies, I don't want them, and I don't seek them. But I have the sacred right to express a respectful opinion."
The minister said he had re-read his original comments and found no disrespect toward any values. "Unless we don't share the same values," he added.
Earlier, Abodi had expressed surprise at Bianchedi's resignation: "Everyone has their own sensitivities and the right to them."
What happens next
The October 6 votes will determine whether CONI proceeds with commissionership — a measure that would sideline Malagò and appoint an administrator to run Italian football. The outcome could hinge on which legal argument prevails: CONI's four opinions asserting procedural violations, or FIGC's counter-arguments claiming the election stands and the challenge window has closed.
Also resolved this week: former referee designator Gianluca Rocchi, investigated for the "bussate" scandal at Lissone, was formally cleared. Both Milan prosecutors and FIGC's federal prosecutor closed their files without charges.
