Giovanni Malagò, the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and leading candidate for the presidency of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), delivered a remote address at the Global Launch of the 100’s of the European Golden Boy in Solomeo. Speaking on May 21, 2026, he tackled Italy’s national team future, the search for a new head coach, his own electoral bid, and the deep-rooted financial troubles of Italian football.
Central to his message was the claim that Italy’s footballing prestige endures despite the national team’s absence from the 2026 World Cup. “Even without the World Cup, Italy has the charm to attract great coaches,” Malagò stated, hinting that a high-profile appointment is imminent. He framed this as proof of the country’s enduring pull, noting, “Otherwise I wouldn’t have run for office.” The explicit promise of a “big” coach, or ct, underscores the urgency to revitalize the Azzurri after repeated international disappointments.
However, Malagò’s path to the FIGC presidency is not without obstacles. His past role as CONI president has raised questions of ineligibility under current sports statutes. While Malagò dismissed such concerns—arguing his situation falls outside the scope of those impediments—political scrutiny has intensified. Senator Roberto Marti has filed a parliamentary inquiry with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, seeking formal clarification on whether Malagò can legally assume the role. This institutional friction highlights the complex intersection of sports governance and politics in Italy.
Reflecting on his decision to seek the FIGC presidency, Malagò described a rapid escalation of support. “At first they told me not to consider other options,” he recalled. “Then from four candidates we became eight, within six and a half days there were eighteen, then nineteen. Let’s say I heard the call of the forest.” This colourful metaphor captures the momentum behind his candidacy but also the chaotic nature of Italian football’s leadership vacuum.
The former CONI chief drew parallels between his current campaign and his six-and-a-half-year tenure overseeing the Milan-Cortina Winter Games organization. He characterized that period as a sequence of extraordinary challenges—pandemic, international crises, geopolitical tensions, and economic headwinds—implying that navigating the football federation’s dysfunction is a comparable test of crisis management. The subtext was clear: he possesses the experience to steer the ship through turbulent waters.
A key theme of his speech was the difference between nurturing individual talent and building a team sport powerhouse. “In football you cannot rely on a single phenomenon; you must build a competitive system,” Malagò argued. This distinction, drawn from his oversight of Olympic disciplines where Italian athletes have recently excelled—athletics, swimming, volleyball, tennis—suggests he believes structural reform, not star-dependence, is the remedy for calcio’s ills.
On governance, Malagò stressed that the FIGC must reclaim its directive function. “The Federation has to fully exercise its steering role, especially when the general interest risks being lost in a sum of private interests,” he cautioned. He lamented that lately “the common good has been somewhat trampled by personal and individual interests,” a thinly veiled critique of the infighting among clubs, leagues, and other stakeholders that has paralyzed decision-making.
The economic reality, he conceded, is grim. “Italian football is going through a difficult moment economically. Sustainability is an abused word, but we have to reckon with it,” he said, adding that the numbers point to a “palesely structural” lack of sustainability. This diagnosis implies that piecemeal fixes have failed and that systemic overhaul—touching debt, revenue distribution, and cost controls—is unavoidable.
Yet not all levers are within the federation’s grasp. Malagò acknowledged that key issues such as tax regulations, the “dignity decree” affecting contracts, and the legal framework for betting require collaboration with political authorities and international bodies. “There are things we can do within the federal system, but others depend on third parties, above all politics and the government of the day,” he said, signaling that his presidency would prioritize lobbying and coordination.
Despite the daunting agenda, Malagò projected the same defiant optimism that has marked his public persona. “I am a reckless optimist,” he declared. “I’m like that about everything, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this.” It was a candid admission that the mountain to climb is steep, but one he remains convinced he can ascend.
As Italian football grapples with an identity crisis—missing two consecutive World Cups, its clubs lagging in European competition, and youth development stalled—Malagò’s platform of experienced leadership and systemic reform has resonated. Whether his blend of Olympic success and political savvy can translate into the notoriously fractious world of football remains the central question. His promise of a big-name coach is a starting point, but the deeper challenge lies in aligning 20 self-interested Serie A chairmen behind a shared vision.
Based on reporting from Tuttosport.