Born in Puglia from Castellaneta like Rodolfo Valentino, he revealed himself to football as the entrepreneur responsible for the Castel di Sangro miracle which in just a few years went from the second category to B, then the climb to sports politics…
When on 22 October 2018 Gabriele Gravina was elected president of the FIGC (the 42nd in history), Italy was still in shock – a year earlier the first failure to qualify for the World Cup came unexpectedly at the hands of Sweden – and had just returned from nine months of administration and eleven months from the resignation of the previous president, Carlo Tavecchio. It’s a hot potato, but also a great opportunity. Gravina is the New Man, or at least so it is told. He is the only candidate and receives a Bulgarian approval rating, i.e. 97.20% of the votes. He receives compliments from the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, who says he is sure: “Gravina will do a good job”. However, when the new president addresses the issue of stadiums, Infantino uses the ax: “In terms of stadiums, Italy is behind Gabon.” At the ready, Gravina assumes the posture of someone who intends to trigger a re-foundation, an aim which he always succeeds – it must be said – well. Side note: the future that must come in the end never arrives.
