The moment of truth for Italian football. And it could be the one that, in a great circle back to the starting point, entrusts Giovanni Malagò himself with the role of FIGC commissioner. Between diametrically opposed opinions of jurists, counting of votes, battles over who should abstain and who should not, 'political' phone calls and opposing sides, controversies over governmental intrusions, the Coni Council will finally meet tomorrow, followed by the Council: they are called to vote on the request for commissionership of the Football Federation supported by the Coni president, Luciano Buonfiglio, due to the failure to register the elected president, Malagò, when he was running for the FIGC presidency.
But the fundamental meeting - the one that should provide a way out of the risk of a split - is scheduled before 1pm between Buonfiglio and Malagò. The idea of mediation - which emerged in secret for a few days and has grown in the last few hours - is to appoint the federation as commissioner, but entrusting the role of commissioner to the FIGC president himself, who is also recognized by his 'rivals' as being blameless for the lack of membership. The federation would thus be ferried towards new elections.
Malagò, on the eve of this, once again received the "complete support" of the League of A, which after a meeting of the clubs in Milan issued a note opposing the commissionership ("inappropriate") and above all the transformation of the top management of Italian sport into a courtroom or the Faculty of Law: the League in fact "dissociates itself and distances itself from the apparent legal controversy of which it does not understand the legal foundations and the political reasons"
The Council which meets at 1pm, with its 15 members, and then the Council will in fact have nine opinions on the table in total: 4 pro Coni - membership was an "essential requirement" - and 5 pro Malagò - membership was not essential and the lack of it is not a "serious violation" sufficient to justify a commissioner - and therefore no unequivocal indication capable of relieving those who vote from the doubt of legal repercussions: there is also the warning to appoint a commissioner sent to everyone by Renato Miele, former footballer and now lawyer, an unsuccessful candidate, who threatens to appeal to ordinary justice
But even the opinions requested by Buonfiglio, beyond the CONI president's definition of "granite", leave the Council with the task of resolving the commissioner issue: on the basis of technical-political principles, the four argue, even if it is clear to everyone that the decision would be entirely political. CONI asked the board of auditors for clarification on the abstention of Diana Bianchedi, after her brief transition from head of the Italian football delegation, and Elisabet Spina; the FIGC responded with a letter signed by the general secretary, in which it is noted that the first has resigned and the second only manager of the Milan women, and at the same time doubts of conflict of interest are raised regarding two other members of the Council (Francesco Montini and Tania Cagnotto).
In short, the scenario involves disputes over who votes, possible legal appeals, no certainty of victory for Coni and Malagò, with heavy consequences on both sides in the event of defeat. Hence, the hypothesis of mediation: placing the Football Federation under commissionership, thus avoiding the CONI from running into the risk of a receivership evoked by the minister for sport, Abodi; but entrusting the role to Malagò, to arrive at a new vote in three months. Serie A still today defines him as "candidate first" and "elected by a wide margin".
