February 4 – Incumbent Gabriele Gravina has been re-elected as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for a third term following a resounding electoral victory.
The sole candidate for the election, the 71-year-old garnered a healthy 98.68 per cent share of the vote – earning him a mandate until 2028.
Both FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin attended the electoral congress in the Italian capital Rome.
Gravina said: “Football is good for Italy. We never stop bearing witness to this. If I look back at these six years spent together, I find many reasons for satisfaction. First of all, we won the biggest challenge of the last 70 years. Keeping Italian football alive during the pandemic.
“We succeeded by challenging the pessimism and moralism that accompany the times of epidemics because we affirmed the right to be happy that football represents the largest and most universal factor of passions on our planet.”
Last year, Gravina became part of a probe by Rome prosecutors for alleged embezzlement and money laundering linked to an auction of TV rights in the Italian third-tier. He denied any wrongdoing.
During his reign, Italy’s fortunes on the field have been mixed. The Azzurri won Euro 2020 but failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
At last summer’s European championship in Germany, the Italians exited the tournament in the round of 16 with a defeat to Switzerland.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1738673134labto1738673134ofdlr1738673134owedi1738673134sni@i1738673134tnuk.1738673134ardni1738673134mas1738673134