Pressure, checks on the compatibility of roles, then the thrust of the sports minister and the decision to take a step back. Diana Bianchedi resigned as head of the national delegation: "Following the statements made by Minister Andrea Abodi, and the controversies that arose from them, I tender my resignation - the words of the former Olympic fencing champion, deputy vice-president of the Olympic Committee -. A decision developed due to the great respect I have for the CONI, its Board, the FIGC and the sports institutions, as demonstrated by my career as an athlete and as a manager".
Appointed last August 9th by the new FIGC president Giovanni Malagò, however, clouds immediately gathered over her new role, in particular the opposition of CONI which had in fact started a process (entrusting the checks to the ANAC) due to the alleged incompatibility between the two positions, in short the potential conflict of attributions in the institutional roles. The climate around the Football Federation has become increasingly heated and Bianchedi's story is part of that of Malagò's failure to register and for which the federation risks being placed under receivership.
Decision that the CONI Board could take in a meeting yet to be scheduled, but in any case next week: having left her role in the FIGC, the former fencer will be able to have her vote in the Board weigh on the possibility of being placed under commissionership. "I have always acted with correctness and seriousness, respecting the rules and people, for the good of the sport - the words of Bianchedi, who made her debut alongside the Azzurri last September 23rd, as the first female head of the delegation -: values that today are unfairly called into question. I choose to take a step back for what the blue shirt represents, in order first of all to protect the team from useless controversies. A team that I found compact, motivated, with great professionals, to starting from the coach, moving on to the players and all the staff. I thank them for the way they welcomed me and for the emotions they made me experience in just a few days. Let's remember that this is what sport is, and must be, primarily for these guys.
Abodi from Milan in the morning, in underlining that "politics has nothing to do with it" and that whether the FIGC will be placed under commissionership will be decided by Coni, had attacked the vice presidents of Coni (Bianchedi and Di Paola who in the council meeting would have expressed a negative opinion on the administration of FederPesistica proposed by Coni number one Luciano Buonfiglio): "If they are always against it they don't respect the fiduciary relationship, relationships like this don't last". A tense climate that heralds other complicated days: in the meantime, the fourth and final opinion of jurists on the regulatory impact of non-registration has arrived at Coni, and on the other hand we are working on the counter-opinions of the Malagò experts.
"There is neither a personal nor political issue. Putting it on this level is an attempt at confusion. At the moment in which it is the Coni that takes a decision, putting it on a political level is a mortification towards the Coni" the words of the minister". The question will be on the table of the Council, but then it will have to pass through the national council which has a much wider audience. The events, however, do not weigh on the head of Roberto Mancini, also armored by Abodi: "It is not under discussion, the FIGC affair will not have repercussions on the national team".
As per the civil code, the documents signed by Malagò are not null and the 'good faith' of the president applies. Meanwhile, the Football Federation has sent the first stadium dossier for Euro 2032: as anticipated by Ansa, there are 13 cities, with 14 facilities (for the capital, in addition to the Olimpico, the new Roma stadium in Pietralata; for Naples the Maradona). UEFA will indicate the shortlist, from which the FIGC will then have to choose the five facilities.
"I am satisfied with the number and quality of the dossiers - the words of Malagò, who submitted all the Italian proposals to Ceferin - The work carried out so far confirms the shared desire to offer Euro 2032 cities and facilities worthy of a major international event". Mancini's national team will face France on Friday, but will not have the head of the delegation at their side: Bianchedi leaves after less than two months.
