Ezio Maria Simonelli (Deputy Vice President) and Umberto Calcagno have been elected as the two Vice Presidents of the FIGC. The appointments were confirmed at today's Federal Council meeting, the first since Giovanni Malagò was elected FIGC President. The presidents of Lega Serie A and the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) were unanimously elected following a proposal from President Malagò.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH. Speaking at the press conference after the meeting, the FIGC President reiterated that appointing the Technical Director will come before announcing the new Italy Head Coach: "I haven't spoken to anyone yet regarding the position of Head Coach. I've decided that will happen only after we've appointed the Technical Director, a role that could also be combined with that of Club Italia President, given the overlap in responsibilities." Malagò is well aware that time is short, with Italy set to begin their UEFA Nations League campaign at the end of September: "It's extremely urgent, and I expect everything to be finalised within a week. Italians want someone with a proven track record, someone who understands the game and can share the responsibility of choosing the Head Coach with the FIGC President. I don't know whether I'm very close or still some way off, but I'm working hard on it. There are several names in the mix, one more than the others. I'm not in a position to confirm or deny anything because there are many factors involved."

DIALOGUE WITH THE GOVERNMENT. The FIGC President updated the Federal Council on last Thursday's meeting with Italy's Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, the first since Malagò's election. He praised the Minister's openness and willingness to work together, adding that the pair will address the most pressing issues facing Italian football over the coming weeks: "Time is short for both of us, so this willingness to collaborate is an opportunity we have to seize."

2025 SIAE REPORT. Despite the challenges surrounding the sport, football remains by far the dominant sport in Italy, accounting for 82% of all sporting events, 75.1% of spectators and 71.7% of total spending across the sports sector. According to the 2025 SIAE Report, spectator spending exceeded €626 million (+3.1% compared to the previous year), while attendances reached 28.3 million, out of a total of 37 million across all sports, over the course of 63,187 events (from almost 76,500 sporting events overall).

"Despite the National Team's results," Malagò said, "it's still remarkable how significant football remains in every respect, from attendances and audiences to the revenue it generates. From my own perspective, I sense a real desire to move forward, just as we've seen in other sports, and to become competitive again."

ADMISSION TO THE 2026/27 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES. Having received positive assessments from both the Independent Commission for the Verification of the Financial and Economic Sustainability of Professional Clubs and the Infrastructure and Sporting-Organisational Criteria Commission, the Federal Council approved the admission of all clubs that submitted applications to compete in the men's Serie A, Serie B and Serie C championships, as well as Women's Serie A.

"It was a positive meeting," Malagò said at the press conference, "because for the first time in several years there were no discussions about clubs failing to meet the registration requirements."