Portugal Colonial - Serie A clubs endorse Milan-Cortina chief Malago as football federation president

Ezio Simonelli, the president of Serie A, told reporters after a meeting in Milan that 18 of the league's 20 clubs had picked Malago to succeed Gabriele Gravina as FIGC chief.

Gravina stepped down earlier this month amid the fallout from the play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The ball is now in Malago's court: he has to carry out his research, formalise his candidacy and present his programme for the presidency," said Simonelli.

Malago is set to meet with representatives of the top flight clubs "in the coming days" to discuss his proposals for Serie A, Simonelli added, with elections for a new FIGC president scheduled for June 22.

Malago, 67, was president of the Milan-Cortina organising committee and also head of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the country's highest sporting body, between 2013 and 2025.

He will have to impress more than just the Serie A clubs however as they carry just 18 percent of the votes, compared to 34 percent held by Italy's amateur football authorities.

Since the defeat to Bosnia, the third straight elimination from the World Cup qualification play-offs, Gravina, coach Gennaro Gattuso and team general manager Gianluigi Buffon have all resigned.

Whoever follows Gravina will not just have to appoint a new national team coach, but also satisfy a long-standing desire for reform within the FIGC and head Italy's part of Euro 2032, which is being co-hosted with Turkey.

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin recently told the Gazzetta Dello Sport that Italy could lose the tournament due to the condition of the country's football stadiums, which he called "some of the worst in Europe".

G.M.Castelo--PC