Gabriele Gravina
Gabriele Gravina | |
|---|---|
 Gravina in 2021 | |
| First Vice President of UEFA | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2025 | |
| President | Aleksander Čeferin |
| Preceded by | Karl-Erik Nilsson (as first vice-president) |
| UEFA Vice President | |
| Assumed office 21 April 2021 | |
| President | Aleksander Čeferin |
| Vice President | Karl-Erik Nilsson (as first vice-president) |
| President of FIGC | |
| In office 22 October 2018 – 2 April 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Roberto Fabbricini |
| Succeeded by | Giovanni Malagò |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 October 1953[1] Castellaneta, Apulia, Italy |
| Occupation | Football administrator |
Gabriele Gravina Grande Ufficiale OMRI (born 5 October 1953) is an Italian sport director. From 2018 to 2026, he served as president of the Italian Football Federation.
Biography
[edit]Originally from Castellaneta, Gravina resides in Sulmona, Abruzzo.[2] He has a degree in Law.[3] He has been an honorary citizen of Castel di Sangro since 14 December 2018.[4]
Career
[edit]President of Lega Pro
[edit]On 22 December 2015, Gravina was elected president of the Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico with 31 votes against Raffaele Pagnozzi and Paolo Marcheschi with 13 and 7 votes respectively,[5] thus succeeding Mario Macalli.[6][3] He was reelected as president on 15 November 2016, with 55 votes, while his opponent Alessandro Barilli received only 3.[7]
President of FIGC
[edit]Gravina resigned as president of Lega Pro on 16 October 2018,[8] and was elected president of the Italian Football Federation on 22 October with 97.2% of the votes.[9] On 11 April 2019, he received the La Moda Veste la Pace Award from the European Parliament in Brussels for the activities to combat racism in football carried out during his term as President of the Italian Football Federation.[10]
On 22 February 2021, Gravina ran for presidency of the FIGC against his deputy Cosimo Sibilia, president of the National Amateur League who supported him, with the support of most professional clubs, the Italian Football Coaches Association and the Italian Footballers Association.[11][12] He was re-elected with 73.45% of the votes.[13] On 20 April, Gravina was elected to the UEFA executive committee with 53 votes out of 55, making him the first of eight elected.[14]
During Gravina's presidency, on 11 July 2021, the Italian men's national football team became European champion by winning the UEFA Euro 2020.[15] They also finished in third place in the UEFA Nations League Finals in 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals and 2023.[16] Also during his presidency, the women's national team also qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where they competed in Group G.[17]
However, the men's national team had failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cup,[18][19] Following Italy’s reported failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Gravina faced immediate public and political pressure to resign as FIGC president. As a result of the failure to qualify on 31 March 2026, two days later Gravina resigned as President of the FIGC. with a new federation election scheduled for 22 June 2026.
Some commentary around the crisis framed the resignation as belated and politically managed rather than purely honour-based, suggesting that Gravina’s departure came only after pressure from media, government figures and the wider football establishment. This led to broader criticism that his instinct appeared to be institutional manoeuvring rather than taking immediate personal accountability following his repeated failures.
Controversies, Corruption Allegations and Institutional Misconduct
[edit]Castel di Sangro era and portrayal in The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
[edit]Gravina’s early prominence in Italian football came as president of Castel di Sangro during the club’s celebrated rise to Serie B in the 1990s, a period later chronicled by Joe McGinniss in The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. The book portrayed the club as a chaotic and opaque provincial football operation dominated by powerful local personalities, including owner Pietro Rezza and Gravina, who was married to Rezza’s niece. McGinniss depicted Gravina as ambitious, politically connected, image-conscious, and central to the club’s daily power structure. The book and later discussion around it included allegations or insinuations concerning Gravina’s personal conduct, his relationship with Rezza’s family, and an alleged symbolic resignation from the formal presidency following accusations of infidelity, while Gravina allegedly continued to exercise de facto influence over the club. Allegations of Gravina having withheld bonuses due to his Castel di Sangro players after their promotion to Serie B in 1996, having accepted personal bribes for favours to other clubs -- namely taking on certain players on loan -- feature on the laundry list of shady claims surrounding his tenure. Gravina's role and behaviour at Castel di Sangro is regularly compared to that of a shady Mafia operator throughout the accounts of events in the book.[20]
Gigi Prete cocaine-smuggling case and club-environment allegations
[edit]The Castel di Sangro season was also marked by the detention of player Gigi Prete during an investigation into an international cocaine-smuggling operation. Prete was later acquitted. Some commentary around the book and later summaries have treated the episode as part of the wider sense of disorder and suspicion around the club. Accounts from Castel di Sangro's 1996/97 Serie B season claim that Gravina had been aware of the arrest of Vanessa Diaz, the Chilean wife of Gigi Prete, for her involvement in a large scale scheme to import cocaine from South America to Europe, something which Gravina is claimed to have covered up. Broader allegations of Gravina having been directly or indirectly complicit in the operation for personal profit were floated but have not been concretely proven.[20] Shortly after the arrest of Gigi Prete, Castel di Sangro striker Giacomo Galli (a close friend of Prete who was said tom have been likely to know more about Prete's dealings than anyone) mysteriously developed a blood infection which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. It was claimed that the condition was developed following the use of a tainted syringe by Castel di Sangro's club doctor, with Gravina having been speculated as having orchestrated or played a part in the ordeal, though it is legally unproven.
Robert Ponnick publicity-stunt signing
[edit]One of the strangest episodes of Gravina’s Castel di Sangro presidency was the Robert “Raku” Ponnick affair, a publicity stunt staged around the inauguration period of the renovated Stadio Teofilo Patini. Gravina announced that the club would sign Ponnick, supposedly a Nigerian forward from Leicester City, and presented him as a sensational foreign acquisition for a small Serie B side. Press attention followed, and Ponnick’s debut was arranged in an exhibition match connected to the newly opened stadium. According to accounts of the episode, however, Ponnick was not a genuine Premier League signing but an actor, while the opposing team was described as an acting troupe. During the staged match, Ponnick performed absurdly badly and reportedly clashed with a teammate, before the episode was revealed as a theatrical gag designed to attract publicity. The stunt succeeded in generating attention but was widely treated as embarrassing, the episode having contributed to the perception of Castel di Sangro under Gravina-era leadership as theatrical, opportunistic and willing to manipulate farcicle spectacle for attention.[20]
Stadio Teofilo Patini construction and pitch controversy
[edit]Another controversy from the Castel di Sangro period involved the delayed readiness of Stadio Teofilo Patini for Serie B use. McGinniss’s account and reviews of the book describe the stadium project as plagued by delay, suspicion and political pressure, with allegations that the ground’s completion was dragged out or obstructed until embarrassment and public scrutiny forced action. The book also criticized the handling of the new playing surface, alleging that the desire to present a lush, visually impressive green pitch contributed to unsafe drainage and water buildup, creating dangerous conditions for players during the stadium’s opening period.[20]
Additional seating and Pescara ticketing controversy
[edit]McGinniss’s account also criticized the late-season construction of approximately 2,000 additional seats for Castel di Sangro’s decisive home match against Pescara, portraying it as a revenue-driven move. The episode was further controversial because tickets were reportedly mishandled or distributed in a way that allowed large numbers of Pescara supporters into the ground, undermining Castel di Sangro’s home advantage in one of the most important matches of the season.[20]
Alleged DHEA request
[edit]McGinniss also alleged that Gravina asked him to help obtain DHEA from the United States, reportedly in connection with sexual performance. This allegation belongs to the book’s broader portrait of Gravina as a vain, self-interested and personally theatrical figure rather than to a formal sporting disciplinary charge. [20]
Bari–Castel di Sangro alleged match-fixing controversy
[edit]The most serious Castel di Sangro-related allegation concerned the final 1996–97 Serie B match away to Bari, which Bari won 3–1 to secure promotion. McGinniss wrote that he believed Castel di Sangro’s players discussed losing by that score and that the result appeared to have been arranged as part of Italian football’s informal “sistema.” The allegation resurfaced publicly in 2018 when former Castel di Sangro players claimed on television that money had been paid for the team to lose, with the figure reported as 300 million lire. Gravina denied the allegation, called it defamatory, and said the matter had already been addressed in court.[20]
Lega Pro television-rights and antique-books investigation
[edit]In 2024, Gravina was formally placed under investigation by Rome prosecutors for alleged misappropriation and self-laundering connected to events from his time as president of Lega Pro. Reports said investigators were examining a 2018 Lega Pro television-rights or channel-development matter and transactions involving Gravina’s antique-book collection. Prosecutors reportedly examined whether payments linked to a Lega Pro tender had been disguised through options or transactions concerning antique books, and whether money was later connected to property-related payments. Gravina denied wrongdoing, voluntarily met prosecutors, and submitted documentation in his defence.
“Dossieraggio” connection
[edit]The 2024 investigation was also linked in reporting to the wider Italian “dossieraggio” scandal involving alleged unauthorized access to official databases. Gravina’s position was that he had been a victim of an illicit dossier operation rather than the beneficiary of one. This made the controversy two-layered: prosecutors were examining alleged financial wrongdoing, while Gravina’s defence emphasized the allegedly polluted or improper origin of the file against him.
Juventus plea-deal controversy
[edit]In 2023, Gravina and the FIGC were criticized over the handling of Juventus’s “manovra stipendi” case after Juventus reached a plea agreement involving a fine and no further points penalty. Gravina publicly praised the settlement as a positive result for Italian football, while critics viewed the outcome as excessive leniency toward Juventus and as evidence of FIGC institutional protectionism. Ternana president Stefano Bandecchi publicly attacked the outcome and Gravina’s role, prompting legal and disciplinary threats before Bandecchi later clarified his remarks.
FIGC palace-politics criticism
[edit]Gravina’s long tenure at the top of the FIGC was also criticized as an example of Italian football’s insulated “palace” culture. His repeated high-margin elections and re-elections were portrayed by critics as evidence that the federation rewarded internal coalition-building and institutional survival more than sporting accountability. This criticism is political rather than criminal, but it became central to the public image of Gravina as a durable federation power-broker.
Italy’s World Cup failures and governance criticism
[edit]Gravina’s FIGC presidency included Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and, according to 2026 reporting, another failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Critics argued that these failures made it such that his leadership symbolized a federation unable to modernize player development, infrastructure, sporting planning and accountability. The repeated World Cup failures became the defining governance criticism of his tenure, despite Italy's EURO 2020 victory.
Euro 2032 and infrastructure criticism
[edit]Gravina’s administration also faced criticism in connection with Italy’s decaying football infrastructure and the risk surrounding Italy’s role in hosting EURO 2032. UEFA warnings over stadium readiness were used by critics as further evidence that Italian football governance had failed to confront long-term structural problems, including obsolete stadiums, political paralysis and weak modernization.
Honours
[edit]Orders
[edit]
3rd Class / Grand Officer: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2021[21]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gabriele Gravina". UEFA. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ University of Teramo. "Curriculum prof. Gabriele Gravina". Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Calcio, un abruzzese alla guida della Lega pro". Il Centro. 22 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ "Commosso per la Cittadinanza Onoraria, Gravina a Castel Di Sangro". report-age.com. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico. "GABRIELE GRAVINA ELETTO PRESIDENTE DELLA LEGA PRO". Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ Fulvio Bianchi (22 December 2015). "La Lega Pro volta pagina: Gravina è il nuovo presidente". La Repubblica.
- ^ Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico. "LEGA PRO – GRAVINA CONFERMATO PRESIDENTE CON 55 VOTI SU 59". Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Lega Pro, Gravina lascia: "Figc? Ho già idee in testa"". 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Figc, Gravina nuovo presidente: eletto con il 97,20% dei voti". 22 October 2018.
- ^ "Assegnato a Gabriele Gravina il Premio "la Moda veste la Pace"". Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ Valerio Piccioni (19 December 2020). "La Lega A spinge Gravina: la riconferma è più vicina". La Gazzetta dello Sport. p. 15.
- ^ "Elezioni Figc, anche i calciatori votano Gravina". Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Gabriele Gravina rieletto presidente della Figc". Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "Un plebiscito per Gravina: il presidente Figc è stato eletto nel Comitato Esecutivo Uefa". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Italia campione, Gravina: "Bellissimo tornare a Roma con la coppa"" (in Italian). 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Italy beat Belgium to claim third". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Mondiali femminili, il Sudafrica batte l'Italia 3-2: Azzurre eliminate ai gironi" (in Italian). 2 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "Italy miss out on third straight WC in shootout loss to Bosnia". espn.com. ESPN FC. 31 March 2026.
- ^ "Italy miss out on third World Cup in a row after penalties defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in play-off". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g McGinniss, Joe (1999). The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 9780767905992.
- ^ "Mattarella ha conferito onorificenze motu proprio ai giocatori e allo staff della Nazionale vincitrice del campionato europeo" (in Italian). quirinale.it. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.