[attach id=230106 size="large"]Giancarlo Abete[/attach]

Giancarlo Abete has been re-elected as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) with over 94 per cent of the vote.

The 62-year-old, who has been an outspoken critic of racist abuse and match-fixing, was the only candidate at a vote held during an assembly in Rome.

Upon his re-election, Abete addressed the assembly to reconfirm his commitment to eliminating racism and corruption from the Italian game, while highlighting the recent achievements of Cesare Prandelli’s national team.

He said: “We know there are still problems, we are not irresponsible, but football does not represent all that is wrong with Italy.

“We are fourth in the FIFA rankings, among the top eight European teams at Under-21 level and leading the world in futsal.

“We must accept criticism and be held accountable for our mistakes but we must also reject sweeping generalisations and the culture of defamation at all costs.

“Football receives a contribution of €64m from the state every year, money that we dedicate to amateur sport, youth activities and refereeing organisations.

“Professional clubs do not receive a penny but they do pay €900 in tax to the state. We must improve and so must the country but the way we work will not be influenced by powerful pressure groups. We must not make the mistake of blaming football for all of Italy’s ills.

“We have held ourselves together through 20 months of match-fixing problems, and there are more to come.”

Abete then praised national head coach Prandelli, who led Italy to the final of the European Championships before ensuring a promising start to the Azzurri’s bid to secure a place at the World Cup in Brazil.

He added: “I thank him from the bottom of my heart for everything he has done for Italian football, not just the good results but the values he has managed to bring back to the team in recent years.”