In this extraordinarily blue Italian summer, anything goes – you just have to take a dig at Malagò

It seems that the favourite pastime of this extraordinarily blue Italian summer has become picking on Malagò. Every time he makes a move, there’s someone plotting to trip him up or trying to distance themselves from him publicly, as Serie A League president Ezio Simonelli did when he stepped in to defend the indefensible Infantino. It takes courage to call yourself a friend of Infantino at the moment. As long as it’s the old glories doing it – from Cannavaro to Zanetti, from Vieri to Totti – fair enough. They are FIFA Legends, five-star guests at the World Cup in the US and all over the globe. They’ve gone where their wallets take them, as footballers often do during their careers.

But Simonelli, president of the Serie A League – how can he think, and then go on to say, that Malagò should have sought the Federal Council’s consent to formalise the FIGC’s break with Infantino and its support for UEFA, stating, ‘I am a friend of Infantino…’? We spent the summer accusing Malagò of cronyism, and now he’s boasting about being someone’s friend in order to protect him. Defending a friend in trouble is a noble gesture, but if you are the representative of the Serie A clubs, you cannot adopt certain positions merely to protect a friend. A manager must know how to draw a line. Perhaps another reason could have been advanced. Yet to state, "I am a friend of Infantino’s and I would have taken my time before withdrawing my confidence in him" is something one could hear only during this absurd Italian summer.

Malagò has made a few mistakes. The appointment of Diana Bianchedi as head of the Italian delegation is still pending approval from CONI. They – meaning Malagò and Bianchedi – took it for granted. Buonfiglio sees things differently, and ultimately it cannot be ruled out that Diana Bianchedi may be forced to step down from her role as CONI vice-president in order to accept the new (and more lucrative) position offered, somewhat unexpectedly, by the new federation president to whom she owes her entire career. It is certainly not a topic likely to arouse much enthusiasm, not least because Malagò himself, after describing the decision as “a cultural revolution”, somewhat stripped it of its significance by explaining that it is a role of “mere representation”. The impression is that one thing excludes the other, but this is the summer of things never seen before, as a Sky commentator would say.

It makes absolutely no sense to attack Malagò simply because he rightly distanced himself from Infantino the day before the FIFA president found himself at the centre of the frontal and legal assault launched against him by Ceferin’s UEFA, which filed a 53-page document with the US District Court in which Infantino’s plan to privatise the World Cup is described as ‘criminal’. Malagò made the right move, not least because Italy is set to host the European Championship and its stadiums are not exactly ready. Siding with Infantino rather than Ceferin would have been political suicide. Fortunately, the rift between the FIGC and the Lega was immediately mended by Marotta (who, however, ought to have a word with his Argentine vice-president, who has sided with Infantino): “The FIGC’s stance is the result of a consensus amongst its constituent bodies.”

“The line was drawn by the president, but with everyone’s agreement. Simonelli merely took issue with the methods, but he represents 20 clubs and has responsibilities.” And he is also vice-president of the FIGC, appointed by Malagò. The alarm has been called off, at least until the next attack on Malagò. When he was at CONI, he knew he had to watch out for Binaghi, Barelli and the political sphere. Now that he is based in Via Allegri, he needs a bulletproof vest under his designer jacket.