Italian Serie A League Appoints Ezio Simonelli as New President

The Italian Serie A League has welcomed a new leader. Ezio Maria Simonelli, the sole candidate, secured the presidency in the second round of voting with a majority of 14 votes against 6. Simonelli, formerly Silvio Berlusconi’s accountant and a board member of Mediaset, received strong support from Adriano Galliani and Beppe Marotta, representing major clubs like Milan, Roma, and Atalanta. However, Lazio and Napoli owners, Claudio Lotito and Aurelio De Laurentiis, stood in opposition.

Initially, Torino’s owner Urbano Cairo prevented a majority in the first vote, which saw 13 out of the required 14 votes (with even Mario Draghi receiving a vote). The second election successfully reached the quorum with 14 votes in favor and 6 against. Simonelli, who previously served as interim president for Serie A in April 2017 and headed the board of auditors, now succeeds outgoing president Lorenzo Casini.

To address potential conflicts of interest raised by Cairo, Simonelli formally resigned from his positions in Fininvest before accepting the role. The final vote revealed six abstentions (blank ballots) from Lazio, Napoli, Lecce, Udinese, Torino, and Verona. The league council must ratify Simonelli’s eligibility before the official handover from Casini. The new president is expected to make his first official appearance at the Supercoppa in Riyadh.