Italy's upcoming FIGC election on June 22 is mired in political conflict as allies of PM Meloni seek to postpone the vote and place the football body under special administration, a move opposed by football officials who see it as a government power grab.
Italian football faced a challenging year with national team failures, poor UEFA performances, and domestic controversies, yet saw bright spots like Inter's domestic double and Como's Champions League qualification.
Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi drew criticism after appearing at a Moscow football event organised by Fonbet on the same day Russia launched a major missile and drone attack on Kyiv. The visit prompted condemnation from Ukrainian figures and Italian politician Pina Picierno.
Coni President Luciano Buonfiglio stated that Italian football needs ethical choices and teamwork to address issues like simulations and referee aggression. He emphasized that change requires collective effort, not just former athletes, and called for responsible decisions from all stakeholders.
Gianluca Rocchi, head of Italy's top football refereeing body CAN, has suspended himself after being placed under investigation for complicity in sporting fraud. The prosecutor alleges Rocchi agreed to assign specific officials for certain Inter games and inappropriately intervened in VAR decisions. Inter and their directors are not under investigation. The scandal echoes Calciopoli, though lawyers note this involves far fewer people. With Inter likely to seal the Serie A title this weekend, the controversy threatens to overshadow the title celebration.
Italian football legend Christian Vieri has criticized Italy's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, calling it a 'very big miss' for a country that has won four tournaments. Speaking at the Hong Kong Football Festival, the former Inter Milan striker said Italy must ask itself hard questions after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in playoff penalties, marking their third straight failure to reach the finals.
An investigation into an alleged Milan-based prostitution network has drawn attention to Italian football, with reports that more than 60 current and former Serie A players were mentioned in case materials. Authorities have confirmed none of the players are under investigation, with the focus remaining on organisers accused of running and profiting from the operation.
Italy’s legendary goalkeeper on getting used to retirement, the decline of Italian football and why he blames himself for Zidane’s World Cup final red card“I tear the gloves off my hands and my bare knuckles, reddened and soaked with sweat, shine in the neon light,” Gianluigi Buffon writes when he remembers leaving the pitch at half-time during the final game of his remarkable career, in May 2023. “I really feel dead inside. I am 45 years old, and around me many of my teammates walking in shorts towards the dressing room could easily be my children.”The gripping and intimate tone of Buffon’s book, Saved, which opens with his last-ever game in a Serie B playoff for Parma, is matched by his warm and open character. The great goalkeeper played professionally for 28 years and his reflections are as moving as they are sombre. “Can you live without it, Gigi?” he asks. “No, I can’t … when you have outlived your youth, and the time when you feel strong and all-powerful has ended, and your muscles, joints and reflexes start to wear out, then it really is like dying.” Continue reading...
