The FIGC reform passes with 83%. Lotito defeated: Casini only has 8 votes

FIUMICINO – The reform of Gravina it’s reality. Without the votes of Serie A. The amendment to the statute which will change the electoral and political weights of Italian football passes the vote, but there were not many doubts about this. The reform was supported by 83 percent of the votes.

Who wins and who loses

However, it is really interesting to see how Serie A behaved. Split in half. More or less. Because it’s true that no one voted in favor. But only 8 voted against, with a block of 12 abstentions. Those 8, on paper, are the votes of Claudio Lotito e di Lorenzo Casini. It means that today the president of the Football League he doesn’t have a majority. Certainly on the “no” to the Gravina reform.

Those 12 abstentions resemble a rejection of the extremist anti-FIGC line: they are the moderates, those who prefer dialogue with the Football Federation to confrontation.

FIGC reform: what we are talking about

Let’s explain what we are talking about. Until a few hours ago, the Lega Serie A represented 12% of the representation in the FIGC Federal Council, with only 3 representatives. And 12% was also the weight he had in the election of the president of the Football Federation. In July, Forza Italia MP Mulè contributed to the writing of an amendment to the sports decree which requires by law to rebalance the representation: by law, it was necessary to give it more weight and more autonomy “also taking into account the economic contribution” of Serie A. It did not provide minimum figures, however.

FIGC reform: what changes

The Football Federation therefore worked on a reform of electoral weights that would involve Serie A more in federal life. In the final text, the result of very long hours of consultations and just as many clashes, Serie A goes from 12 to 18% and from 3 to 4 councillors. Not only that: it also obtains the “right of agreement” on any reform that involves it “exclusively”. In practice: for every rule on Serie A to come into force, it must be shared by Serie A itself. The problem arises, however, when there is no agreement between the FIGC and Serie A. Especially if there is a time limit within which to reach a decision, such as for example for national licenses (i.e. the deadlines for registering for championships) or the registration of non-EU players: in those cases a solution must be found. And here the problems arise.

What Serie A was asking for

Serie A wanted its line to win in those cases. Translated: where there is no agreement, Serie A decides. Not only that: he also wanted to reach 20% of the electoral weight, with 5 federal councillors. He then filed this request and brought it to the meeting. And he also previously filed an appeal against the Assembly regulations. An extremist line, shared unanimously on Thursday. A few hours before the assembly, the clubs met to decide how to support it. A line emerged: aware that the assembly would have rejected Serie A’s requests, what do we do? In the end an agreement was made: no one would vote in favor of the Gravina reform. Either against, or abstain. So it was.

Only 8 votes against Gravina

So it is fair to say that no one within the Lega Serie A supported the Gravina reform. But an analysis is needed on how the vote was voted. The Serie A votes against the Gravina reform were only 8. Why “only”? Simple: because the “no” was in fact a vote in favor of the requests presented by President Casini. But only 8 opted for this solution. Much fewer than imagined on the eve. Those 12 abstentions actually expressed a soft line, open to dialogue. For this reason, if Gravina won by seeing his reform voted for by 83% of the assembly, Casini and Lotito, his main inspiration, must suffer a significant defeat. Because it means that to date the president of the Football League does not have a majority. And between the end of the year and the beginning of 2025 it will be necessary to vote for his confirmation.