Rome (AFP) – Former leader and then president of AC Milan during the Silvio Berlusconi period, Adriano Galliani presented his candidacy for the post of president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Wednesday, Italian agencies report.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 22:27

Mr. Galliani, 82, was part of the management of Milan between 1986 and 2017, a golden period for the Lombard club with eight Italian championship titles and five Champions League crowns. He then managed the Monza club, then owned by the Berlusconi family, from 2018 to 2025.

Senator of the Forza Italia party since 2023, Mr. Galliani remains an influential figure in Italian football: he was vice-president of Lega Serie A and Lega Serie B. He has received the support of several elite clubs and players' and coaches' associations.

His candidacy is a major surprise because the election for the presidency of the FIGC, scheduled for December 14, seemed until then promised to Giovanni Malago, the only one in the running before the close of applications this Wednesday.

The former president of the Italian Olympic Committee and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Organizing Committee was elected in June at the head of the FIGC, then in crisis after the failure of the Nazionale to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. But this election was called into question, because Mr. Malago did not have a FIGC license at the time of his election. Due to this governance problem, the FIGC came under the supervision of the Italian Olympic Committee last month, which however gave the title of extraordinary commissioner of Italian football to Mr. Malago.

© 2026 AFP

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