Galliani proposes 2% betting revenue share and sponsorship review for Italian football

Adriano Galliani, a candidate for the presidency of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), proposes in his programme that football receive 2% of the resources generated by sports betting. The programme also proposes a review of the restrictions on sponsorships by betting operators. The proposals come ahead of the FIGC elections on 14 December.

The document, titled Uno sprint di due anni, runs to 60 pages and 18 chapters and sets priorities for 2027-2028.

The betting revenue proposal rests on the principle that part of the economic value generated by football events should go to the system that organises them. The 2% would apply to football betting turnover given as about €16bn. Applied to the whole amount, the theoretical value of the resources would be about €320m. The report describes the figure as an arithmetic projection rather than a forecast of actual income, which would depend on how the measure was applied.

On sponsorship, the programme proposes revisiting the limits introduced in 2018 by the Decreto Dignità, which banned advertising, including indirect advertising, of games and bets with cash winnings. Before the ban, professional football clubs could sign sponsorship agreements with authorised betting operators. The proposal provides for talks with institutions to assess a revision of the current rules. The information available on the programme does not yet define how any legislative change would work or the conditions under which sponsorships could be allowed again.

The programme also covers action against audiovisual piracy and protection of the economic value of television rights. Galliani further proposes measures for young Italian players, Under 23 second teams, youth academies and stadium modernisation, including with a view to the 2032 European Championships. Its economic priorities include a review of taxation on sports work and an increase in international revenue.