Politics and sport: a suicidal sprint centred on Malagò

It is bizarre that two vice-presidents of CONI should go against their president. And it is right that a member of the executive committee such as Gianni Petrucci, former head of CONI (and not only that), should point this out. But when it is the Minister for Sport and Youth who highlights this anomaly, his intervention becomes “grammatically incorrect and out of place”, as Giovanni Malagò put it yesterday, in no uncertain terms. Not a day goes by without the feud between CONI and the FIGC taking on political overtones that should set alarm bells ringing. The much-coveted autonomy of sport is now becoming a joke. On the other hand, one need only follow the flow of money to realise that Italian sport now depends on the political establishment, which has entrusted its coffers to ‘Sport e Salute’.

Politics pays the piper and wants to call the shots – or, at the very least, have its say. As president of CONI, Malagò had managed to keep it out of the Palace. Buonfiglio, who is himself a highly experienced executive, is trying to capitalise on it. In the name of the rules, we are on the verge of the FIGC being placed under administration and Malagò being ousted. The date is set for Tuesday 6th, once the ‘final formalities’ – namely Mancini’s national team matches – have been dealt with. The CONI Executive Committee and Council are due to meet on that date. If the Executive Committee gives the go-ahead, the matter will proceed to the Council. With an open vote, the session could yield some significant scenes. Malagò has friends everywhere, but voting against Buonfiglio would send a powerful message. At stake is not only the future of the FIGC, but that of Italian sport, which, despite everything, is currently enjoying a golden age.

The blame, however, lies with Malagò, who was guilty of superficiality. Knowing he had a target painted on the back of his blazer, he should have paid attention to every detail. He could not possibly have been unaware of the rule requiring membership. And the FIGC itself should have had the political shrewdness to sense the danger. Many people got it wrong – perhaps all of them. As a result, the entire process may now need to start from scratch, exposing Italian sport to international ridicule. The very individual who brought Malagò to the IOC did so without a membership card.