Düsseldorf, Germany – July 6: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin watches from the stands before the Euro 2024 quarter-final match between England and Switzerland at the Dusseldorf Arena on July 6, 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
UEFA president Alexander Ceferin has warned that “political interference could undermine the trust of UEFA and other partners” ahead of Euro 2032 as Italy’s football federation could be put under special administration.
Giovanni Malago was elected president of the Italian Football Federation in June this year, but Italian football is still far from stable.
Malago is likely to be deposed by CONI in the coming weeks, paving the way for the Italian Football Federation to accept special administration.
Technically, the reason is that Malago does not officially hold Italian Football Federation membership, which is required to run for president.
“Without delving into the legal interpretation, I would like to remind everyone that this is not the first time there has been external interference in the activities of the Football Association,” Ceferin told reporters. Magazine.
“FIFA and UEFA have always clearly insisted on the autonomy of the federations. I hope that the competent authorities will make a decision in accordance with the rules of sports law as soon as possible. The worsening institutional crisis does no one any good.”
“We do not intend to prejudge the decisions of these bodies, but the independence of the federation and respect for the wishes of its members are fundamental principles of the UEFA and FIFA statutes and we hope that these principles will be upheld. We are confident that the Italian sports bodies will find solutions consistent with these principles and in the interests of Italian and international football.”
Ceferin was asked whether placing the Italian Football Federation under special administration would have an impact on Italy’s role as a co-host of Euro 2032.
“I’m not going to comment on hypothetical situations. No decisions have been made yet,” he responded.
“I would just like to say that Italy has a special responsibility as a co-organizing country. Because of this, it is very important to maintain the independence of sports bodies. Any political interference may damage the trust of UEFA and other partners, which is not good for Italian football and the event.”
Ceferin has long called for new infrastructure and stadiums to be built in Italy.
“The football infrastructure in Italy is nowhere near the reputation your football enjoys,” he insisted.
“Despite this, progress has been made. In August, 13 cities expressed interest in hosting the competition and the significant investment announced is an encouraging sign that institutions understand the gravity of the situation. However, time is not on anyone’s side. The will shown must be translated into concrete steps as soon as possible; this is the only factor for success.
“The examples of Juventus, Atalanta and Udinese show that when clubs take over and manage stadiums, results emerge relatively quickly. Therefore, I believe that Euro 2032 is the best opportunity to improve this model and that Italy will seize this opportunity in cooperation with public institutions, clubs and local communities.”
Marago succeeds Gabriele Gravina as Italian Football Federation president, but the latter retains his position as UEFA vice-president.
Gravina resigned as Italian Football Federation president in March 2026 after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time and for the second time in his term.
“Gravina leaves Italian football in many respects a better place than when he started,” Ceferin insisted.
“The Italian Football Federation is emerging from special management and the national team is getting over the shock of missing out on the World Cup. In less than three years, Italy became European champions at Wembley and twice finished third in the Nations League.
“But his greatest achievements are less obvious: the system’s success in youth football and women’s football, plus co-hosting Euro 2032 with Turkey. That’s the thing about football: one result can decide the fate of a character, but it cannot erase almost eight years of important work. Time will tell how much Gravina has contributed to Italian football.”
Ceferin also has a good relationship with Marago.
“He is a serious man who loves football and that has always been at the heart of our conversations. We have a very good relationship,” he said.
Marago and Ceferin share the same stance against FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“Trust in our sport rests on three pillars: unity, transparency and governance that serves the many, not the few,” Ceferin concluded.
“Recently, these three objectives have been trampled upon by those who swore to uphold them. The project that undermined the unity of world football may have been shelved, but the trust it damaged has not yet been restored. Rebuilding it is now our common task. I am happy that the rest of the Italian and European football family, as well as some partners from other federations, have united, as they have always done when it comes to defending our game. I say it again: football is not for sale.”