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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – MARCH 15: Giovanni Malago, President of Milano Cortina 2026 waves during the medal ceremonies for the Men’s Slalom events on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on March 15, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Reports in Italy indicate that Giovanni Malagò is currently leading the race for the FIGC presidency and that Italy could look to bring in either Gianfranco Zola or Paolo Maldini once a new leader of the football association has been appointed.
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Malagò leads FIG Presidential race, could appoint Zola or Maldini for Italy
Malagò and Giancarlo Abete are the two leading candidates to replace Gabriele Gravina as President of the FIGC. Gravina stepped down from his position shortly after Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off final at the end of March.
The FIGC Presidential election will take place on June 22, and the two candidates have been busy presenting their cases to the various bodies within the Italian football set-up over the last two weeks.
On Thursday, Malagò and Abete both met with representatives from the players’ and coaches’ associations, who will have a combined 30% of the votes at the election in June (20% for the players’ association, 10% for the coaches’).
According to reports from Tuttosport on Friday, both bodies are leaning slightly in favour of selecting Malagò as the replacement for Gravina.
According to Friday’s report, Malagò will seek to include a ‘big name’ in the FIGC set-up if he is appointed, likely a former star of the national team.
Tuttosport suggests that Zola, currently serving as vice-President of the Lega Pro, is an ideal candidate, one that knows the set-up well and one that is looked upon favourably by those already involved with the FIGC. Maldini is also an enticing option for various reasons and has plenty of experience in a directorship role from his post-playing career with Milan.
ByPeter Young
Peter Young is a Senior Reporter with Football Italia.
