FIGC, the Italian Football Association, will hold its general election on February 22nd in Rome, but it already seems likely that president Gabriele Gravina will be confirmed and will embark a new four-year term, Repubblica reported today. He has earned the support of 18 out of 20 Serie A teams, almost every Serie B club and 54 out of 58 Serie C sides, plus he has already been publicly backed by the Player’s Association and the coaches are expected to do the same shortly. Only Claudio Lotito, the owner of Lazio and Salernitana, and Benevento’s Mauro Vigorito are not on his side.
His competitor Cosimo Sibilia, who currently chairs Serie D, will be left only with the votes coming from his League, which is the largest given that it accounts for the 34% of the electorate. Sibilia, who is also a senator for the Forza Italia party, is slated to make his candidacy official before the early January deadline, but Gravina is currently projected to attract a large majority.
Gravina, who was first elected in 2018 after Carlo Tavecchio’s resignations, spoke yesterday to Radio Rai: “I think it represent some sort of record that I have been designated by three Leagues already. There is great energy behind my re-election, which gratifies me. The main focus of my platform will be sustainability and the overall reform of the divisions.”
Gravina has built a lot of equity for nailing the choice of Roberto Mancini as the Azzurri coach and for this vigor in fighting against a complete stoppage in the first wave of the pandemic.