Italy legend & Ballon d’Or winner Rivera ‘ready’ to become FIGC President: ‘I have a very specific agenda’

Gianni Rivera has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next FIGC president, making an informal declaration of candidacy on the same day that Gabriele Gravina finally tendered his resignation following Italy’s third consecutive World Cup elimination.

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The 82-year-old, who in 1969 became the first Italian to win the Ballon d’Or, announced his interest during the radio programme Caffè on Rai Radio 1 Sport, via CalcioEFinanza.

“I am ready to become FIGC president because I have a very specific programme that I have developed with friends, including the son of Angelo Sormani,” Rivera said. “It is a model we are studying and preparing that could perhaps be useful for the federation.”

Rivera: ‘No surprise that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup’

The former AC Milan legend was candid about the scale of the problems facing Italian football.

“There is no reason to be surprised about failing to qualify for the World Cup, I have to say that honestly,” he said. “At this moment there are serious problems that are difficult to overcome. We have shown that we have not overcome them.”

Any candidate wishing to stand in the election must submit formal documentation by 7 June, with the vote itself scheduled for 22 June.

The FIGC presidency is decided by an assembly of 516 weighted votes spread across Italian football’s various stakeholder groups.

The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti hold the largest share at 34%, followed by the players’ association at 20%, Serie A clubs at 18%, coaches at 10%, Lega Pro at 12% and Serie B at 6%. A candidate requires an absolute majority of validly cast votes, including blank ballots, to be elected.

Rivera’s candidacy is not yet official, but the intervention of one of Italian football’s most iconic figures adds a fascinating dimension to what promises to be a hotly contested race to reshape the game’s governing structures.