This is wild, folks. Giovanni Malagò, after winning a landslide election in June to be President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), has just been appointed special commissioner of the FIGC. Why? Because the original election was declared void. Seriously, the dude won, but he wasn’t a registered member, so he shouldn’t have even been a candidate. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Bizarre Election Flop That Led to a Loophole Appointment
So here’s the breakdown of this absolutely bonkers scenario. Malagò cruises to victory in the June election for FIGC President, right? Everyone’s thinking, “Okay, that’s done.” Except, plot twist! He wasn’t actually a registered member of the federation, making his candidacy invalid from the jump. The CONI, which is basically the Italian Olympic Committee overseeing *all* Italian sport, had no choice but to declare the election void. They *had* to appoint a special commissioner, and who did they pick? Malagò himself, effectively having him take over his own job, just in a new role.
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio is out here defending the move, saying they “safeguarded the autonomy of sport and showed that rules must be respected.” He insists Malagò was “the victim of a malfunction” and that he’s got a “perfect CV.” Buonfiglio told reporters, including Sky Sport Italia, that the vote to appoint Malagò as commissioner was unanimous. It’s like, you gotta respect the rules, but also, let’s keep the guy in charge who already won, even if he couldn’t actually run. He’s got his work cut out for him for the next 90 days.
The Fallout: Resignations and Rebuttals
But wait, there’s more drama! This chaotic mess didn’t just affect Malagò’s job title. It also led to the resignation of Diana Bianchedi, the delegation chief for the Italy team. She stepped down after public criticism from the Minister for Sport, Andrea Abodi, who called out her conflict of interest. Bianchedi was not only a CONI vice president, but also working with Malagò in the FIGC setup. Abodi thought her voting with the FIGC would mess up her “rapport of trust” with CONI.
Buonfiglio, though, isn’t having any of that. He outright rejects Abodi’s take on trust, saying, “Trust is something else, after all, having different opinions is one of the principles of democracy.” He’s hoping her resignation gets rejected, even telling Commissioner Malagò that it’s *his* job now to bring Bianchedi back. Talk about an immediate task!
Malagò has already stamped a new election for FIGC President on the calendar for December 14. You know what they say: second time’s the charm. And this time, you can bet he’ll have the correct paperwork. He’s widely expected to win, which, after all this, would just be the most Italian football ending imaginable.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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