FIGC Election
The FIGC election will take place on Jan. 29, 2018.
It was less than a year ago when Carlo Tavecchio was re-elected as FIGC President, beating former Serie B President Andrea Abodi with 54.03% of the votes.
Fast forward following the elimination of the Azzurri from the World Cup 2018 in Russia, the ‘apocalypse’ as Tavecchio called it, the pressure was on for him to resign which he did after initially being reluctant to do so.
This time, there will be a three-way battle in the election to replace Tavecchio.
The candidates
Damiano Tommasi, 43 years old. Former footballer who played the bulk of his career with Roma. Currently President of AIC – Associazione Italiana Calciatori (Italian footballers association).
"Grande campione vede autostrada dove altri vedono sentiero". V.Boskov .@Totti ha visto sentiero dove altri vedono muro! @FIGC #ilcalcioachiloama #girarepagina @assocalciatori pic.twitter.com/EeA1py6sDY
— Damiano Tommasi (@17tommasi) November 30, 2017
Gabriele Gravina, 64 years old. Held several managerial positions in different clubs. Currently President of Lega Pro – Serie C (Italian third division)
Ho appena depositato la mia candidatura per la Presidenza della @FIGC. La nostra sfida per dare una nuova #forza ed un nuovo #futuro allo sport piu’ seguito del #Paese. Ritrovare un senso di movimento che rimetta al centro la #passione! pic.twitter.com/5FsCXyL5vd
— Gabriele Gravina (@gagravina) January 14, 2018
Cosimo Sibilia, President of LND – Lega Nazionale Dilettanti (National amateur league)
#AssembleaLND Ho sempre messo la politica al servizio dello sport, mai il contrario. Sono due campi distinti che non ho mai mischiato. Mi sforzerò per trovare una sintesi comune ma sia chiara una cosa: concorro per vincere. Farò il massimo per avere i voti di tutte le componenti. pic.twitter.com/vJIRKzpW8p
— Cosimo Sibilia (@CosimoSibilia) January 13, 2018
How the voting works:
There are seven groups that are involved in the voting, each with an assigned number of delegates. Not all delegate votes are treated equal, however, as some of the votes of certain groups carry more weight, while others less so.
Voting Group | Delegates | % Delegates | % Vote |
Serie A | 20 | 7% | 12% |
Serie B | 21 | 8% | 5% |
Player’s Association | 52 | 19% | 20% |
Lega Pro | 60 | 22% | 17% |
Coach’s Association | 26 | 9% | 10% |
Referee’s Association | 9 | 3% | 2% |
Amateur League | 90 | 32% | 34% |
Total | 278 |
CHART – FIGC Delegation Breakdown
As you can see in the chart, although Serie A (with 20 delegates, one per team) has 7% of the delegates, its vote counts for 12%. On the opposite end, a vote from a Serie B (21 delegates, or 8%) only counts for 5%.
The new president is elected on first ballot only if he receives at least 75% of the vote. If not, votes are recast a second time, and victory is declared if the candidate receives at least 66% of the votes. Should that not occur, a final third ballot takes place, and only 51% of the votes are required to win.
Each candidate’s program can viewed on the FIGC site, link here: http://www.figc.it/en/204/2540543/2018/01/News.shtml