Large majority for the reform of the Statute of the FIGC president. The clubs of the top championship divided between those against and abstentions. Before the vote, Gravina made a harsh statement: “I have become the target of slander and dossiers, but let’s give it time.” And on the proposal from the Serie A: “Requests have arrived beyond what is reasonable”
From our correspondents Mario Canfora – Elisabetta Esposito
4 November 2024 (change at 1.31pm) – FIUMICINO (ROME)
Live
The extraordinary Assembly for the modification of the FIGC Statute, characterized in recent days by tensions especially between the Federation and Serie A, opens with a very harsh speech by the president Gabriele Gravina, who as expected goes straight on his way, reiterating the validity of the proposal filed last Wednesday and which will soon be put to the vote: “Each of you is called to express your opinion through an open vote on a reform proposal which intends to renew that federative pact, based on respect and responsibility. Without these two valuable characteristics, in fact, there cannot be true democracy. Rather, a repeated and unacceptable attempt at abuse by the stronger over the weaker and the more aggressive over the milder. Faced with these alternatives, I will always be on the side of those who want to speak and explain themselves, of those who prefer content to simple slogans and of those who reject arrogance on principle, with conviction”.
NESSUN FAIR PLAY
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Then he attacks: “In recent weeks, if not even in recent months, unfortunately this has not happened, we must be honest. We have witnessed meetings – official and otherwise – in which the language, if not even the concepts expressed, were not inspired by any type of fair play. Worse has happened: an adversary on the field, albeit in federal politics, has become the target of slander and dossiers, but let’s give it time, because the competent bodies will soon express their opinion on these. Well, I don’t recognize myself in this way of doing things, in fact I’m ashamed of those who act like this, as their goal is not to establish relationships based on trust in which there is open and crystal-clear communication. Our identity and understanding grow and are enriched only in respectful comparison with others. Furthermore, respect is the prerequisite for responsibility. A person who is respectful towards himself and others keeps his word, acts in good faith, knowing full well that football does not belong to any Club president, to any League president or even to that of the Federation, but football is a set of passions, interests and values that cannot always and necessarily be reduced to a mere power struggle”.
against interference
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Gravina then reiterates the importance of the autonomy that allows the organization of sporting activity “independently from the interference of other systems, such as the state one. We greatly appreciated the attention of those who were interested in the requests of the League of A related to mathematical exercises of one point more or less of representation, but we would have appreciated even more if the exercise of such tenacity had been aimed at finally recognizing the true needs of Italian football, which I have been committed to claiming for some time: Tax Credit , percentage on bets to be invested in nurseries and plants, sponsorships from Betting, full adaptation of the legislation on apprenticeships and bureaucratic simplification for the creation and modernization of infrastructures. These are the problems that need to be addressed urgently and that the world of politics must contribute to resolve. While as regards relations within the Federation itself, I cannot fail to underline how in the months that led to the definition of the proposed reform of the Statute, I immediately intended to accept the requests coming from the most relevant component (the League). Serie A, ed.). But in the face of repeated overtures, something more was claimed each time, even going beyond what was reasonable, in an attempt to humiliate someone else or not really wanting to reach an agreement.” He then concludes by reiterating that he has given Serie A “what it expressly asked for, from a strong agreement to an autonomy that is even greater than the much-cited Premier model”.
CASINI, THE APPEAL AND THE PROPOSAL
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The word then goes to the number one of the Lega Serie A Lorenzo Casini who goes into the merits of the changes envisaged by the federal president, asking that autonomy must be recognized on “what concerns Serie A and not ‘exclusively’ Serie A”, then it demands a greater number of councilors (5 and not 4) and assembly representation (20% and not 18%) and in case of conflict with the FIGC that the Serie A has the last word, a sort of binding opinion.
marani and the collapsed football
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The intervention of Matteo Marani, president of the Lega Pro, was also harsh: “We are the component that has given the greatest contribution to these changes, to help everyone escape from a wrong logic. I have seen too many personalities, too many crusades have led Italian football to sink to a painful point. He seems to be enormously afraid of the future, we are not an old party but a new company. The Lega Pro must be recognized for its work on the valorization of young people.”
the barnyard doesn’t vote
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Long speech by Carlo Pacifici, president of The Hague, who has been assigned new management autonomy which takes her out of the Federal Council and the assembly representation, announcing that for coherence “the delegates of The Hague will not participate in the vote”.
fir against messes
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The number one of the NLD Giancarlo Abete instead declared his component’s vote in favor of Gravina’s proposal, recalling that “the amendment in the first formulation followed the proposal of Serie A, which was then reduced to the certification for professionals to be also represented by virtue of their economic contribution to the system in the governing bodies”. And again: “There is no longer any respect, President Casini didn’t even have the courage to remember that in their latest proposal 10% of our representation and two councilors are cut. We’re not there, we’re not there, we’re not there we absolutely are.”
mess’s answer
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Serie A called into question several times and imprecisely. They are false representations of what happened and they do no good. Serie A is the only component that has always refused to vote against decisions that concerned another component, in particular the LND, while the opposite has not happened. We are not here for the Mulè amendment but because the Serie A has gradually lost the precautions, written or based on a handshake like the one between Carraro and Tavecchio, which protected it. We are trying to restore the balance. We have said everything about the numbers several times – he states, referring to “Giancarlo” Abete himself -. For too many years, Serie A has been mortified by decisions taken by others against Serie A”. The audience murmurs, some boos go off. And he takes advantage of it: “And this reaction confirms what I say”.
gravina’s clarifications
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Gravina returns to speak: “The war against the Serie A? The minutes of the federal councils count, not what is said afterwards. As for the possibility of removing the word ‘exclusively’ from the proposal on autonomy as regards Serie A, It’s absolutely not acceptable. That way the A could decide on everything.”
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the vote
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We go to the vote. The accredited delegates are 253 out of the 283 eligible, for a total of 461.69 votes out of 516. Gravina’s proposal – voted on article by article – obtains a large majority, but Serie A has always avoided with each of its delegates expressing vote in favor (only one preference for the article that removes representation in The Hague): 8 votes against and 12 abstentions.
