Diana Bianchedi resigns as Italy head of delegation after less than two months | OneFootball

Diana Bianchedi has resigned as Italy’s head of delegation, stepping down on Wednesday during the international window less than two months after taking the job. According to L'Équipe, the decision comes two days before the Nazionale’s match in France.

Back under Roberto Mancini, Italy lost 0-2 to Belgium on Friday then won 4-1 in Türkiye on Monday.

Bianchedi had replaced Gianluigi Buffon in the role and was appointed in August by the new president of the Italian football federation, Giovanni Malago.

A double Olympic fencing champion, she is vice-president of CONI and sits on the Milan-Cortina 2026 organising committee.

Her reasons were the comments by sports minister Andrea Abodi and the subsequent media controversy. She maintained she had always acted correctly for the good of sport and stepped aside to shield the team from unnecessary polemics.

On Tuesday she appeared before a CONI tribunal during proceedings on placing the Italian Weightlifting Federation under administration, a move she opposed. Her stance drew criticism from Abodi, who argued it did not demonstrate the trust placed in her.

Though unrelated to the Nazionale and football, the episode plays out amid a fraught backdrop as Italy have only just emerged from a major crisis after failing at the end of March to qualify for a third straight World Cup. Malago’s election in June is also being contested.

Source: L'Équipe

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