Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 6y

Everyone is a loser after failed Italian FA election - Damiano Tommasi

Damiano Tommasi says that everybody is a loser after elections for a new Italian FA (FIGC) president on Monday ended in a stalemate.

Tommasi, who is the president of the Italian Professional Footballers' Association (AIC), finished third in the first three rounds of votes, taking around 20 percent of the vote. As a result, he was eliminated for the fourth round of voting, which became a two-horse race between Gabriele Gravina and Cosimo Sibilia.

Sibilia called on all his backers to desert the vote and prevent anybody from being elected, resulting in 59 percent void votes and no overall majority for Gravina. However, had Tommasi's backers put their faith in Gravina, he would have been elected, although the former Roma midfielder confirmed he did not want that.

"I could have reached an understanding, but the one condition was that I would be president," Tommasi told reporters after the vote had concluded. "It's not for personal reasons, but simply because I think that change has got to take place via a courageous decision."

Tommasi intended to make more reforms than his rivals, while an election of a 43-year-old would also have been a sign in a federation where older individuals have usually held the highest positions.

As a result, he did not feel Italian football is yet ready to move on following its disappointment in failing to reach this summer's World Cup.

"It just reflects our movement as it is right now," Tommasi said. "We're suffering on a sporting level and even more so institutionally. We will accept our responsibility because we have not been able to convince others who could have helped us on a path of change, which our football needs to find.

"This is a defeat for everybody because we need to start from page one to build again. Many good things have been done up to now, but there are many more that need to be done. Now [the FIGC's] administration will force us into deep reflection.

"I tried in every way to find an agreement and I tried to suggest a postponement, but there was no way. The assembly has expressed its verdict democratically, but I don't think that [Italian Olympic Committee -- CONI -- president Giovanni] Malago is celebrating for this situation, because it just becomes an additional problem for the CONI."

The CONI are now expected to take over the running of the FIGC, one of its affiliates, until new elections can be called.

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