In a significant development for Italian football, Ezio Simonelli has been elected as the new president of Lega Serie A, the governing body of Italy’s top-flight football league. The election, which took place in two rounds, saw Simonelli secure the necessary majority with 14 votes in favor and 6 against.
Simonelli, a former accountant for Silvio Berlusconi and ex-member of the Mediaset board, as well as an auditor for Mondadori, was backed by influential figures in Italian football. Adriano Galliani and Beppe Marotta, along with major clubs such as Milan, Roma, and Atalanta, supported his candidacy. However, the presidents of Lazio and Napoli, Claudio Lotito and Aurelio De Laurentiis respectively, were among the notable opponents.
The election process was not without drama. In the first round of voting, Simonelli fell short by just one vote, receiving 13 out of the required 14, with Torino’s president Urbano Cairo playing a crucial role in preventing the majority. Interestingly, former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi also received a vote during this round.
The second round of voting proved successful for Simonelli, as he reached the quorum with 14 votes in favor. This election marks Simonelli’s return to a leadership role in Serie A, having previously served as interim president in April 2017 and as president of the board of auditors.
To address concerns about potential conflicts of interest raised by Urbano Cairo, which had hindered his election in the first round, Simonelli took the formal step of resigning from his positions in Fininvest before accepting the presidency.
Simonelli succeeds Lorenzo Casini as the president of Lega Serie A, ushering in a new era for Italian football administration. His election represents a shift in the power dynamics within Serie A, with the support of major clubs playing a crucial role in his appointment.
