Cairo: 'Italy emergency cannot wait for long-term project, first 100 days crucial'
Quick summary
Torino president Urbano Cairo urges swift action on the Italian national team's crisis, warning that the first 100 days of any new project are critical.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceTorino President Urbano Cairo warns the long-term project for Italy presented by Paolo Maldini and Giovanni Malagò is too ambitious. ‘The first 100 days are decisive.’
The FIGC President and his new technical director of the Nazionale, along with special advisor Leonardo, met with the Lega Serie A today.
BERGAMO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 16: AC Milan Sporting Strategy & Development Director Paolo Maldini and AC Milan Club Sporting Director Leonardo De Araujo before the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and AC Milan at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on February 16, 2019 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) They spoke to the representatives of 20 top flight clubs about the plans to completely reset Italian football , including a new coach, a solid identity, and setting the guidelines for youth academies.
Not everyone was impressed with the idea of a long-term project after Italy failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the World Cup.
Cairo in a hurry to resolve Italy problems CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – MARCH 5: Giovanni Malago, President of the Organising Committee for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, speaks during the mural inauguration ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at the Cortina Paralympic Village on March 05, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images for IPC) “I confirm my respect for Malagò, while Maldini and Leonardo made a very good impression, but we need to do things more quickly,” insisted Torino chief Cairo to reporters.
“As with every activity, the first 100 days are decisive. So we need to speed things up here. It’s almost better for them to inherit such a negative situation, I experienced that by buying businesses that were on the brink of bankruptcy.”
What does Cairo think they could do in the space of 100 days to transform a football movement that has been struggling for over a decade?
“Change the rules to develop talent, talk about investment. I’d much prefer talking about a project that runs from two to four years,” he replied.
“In 2014, Carlo Tavecchio was elected FIGC President and he had an uphill struggle due to a few gaffes, but then choosing Antonio Conte as coach really launched him.
“Malagò has to be careful, because the difficult choices are made by the President. What we have here is an emergency, not something to be resolved in eight to 10 years,” concluded Cairo.
In his press conference, Malagò had talked about a project taking Italy up to the EURO 2032 tournament , which will be co-hosted with Turkiye, so closer to six years than 10.
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What happened
Urbano Cairo, president of Torino FC, has publicly weighed in on the ongoing crisis surrounding the Italian national team, calling it an 'emergency' that cannot be addressed through long-term planning alone. He stressed that whoever is appointed to lead Italian football's revival must deliver tangible results within the first 100 days. Cairo's comments come amid continued debate over the FIGC's coaching search and structural reforms following Italy's recent failures on the international stage.
Chance analysis
Cairo's intervention signals impatience from one of Serie A's most influential club presidents regarding the pace of reform at FIGC level. His call for results within 100 days raises the political pressure on whoever takes charge of the Italy project — likely the new CT — and suggests club owners want quick, visible change rather than multi-year rebuilds. This is meaningful for prediction systems only insofar as it hints at urgency in the coaching appointment and may foreshadow a short leash for the next Italy manager.
Increased political pressure on the FIGC and the next Italy national team coach to deliver immediate results.
Expect the new Italy coach to face very early performance pressure; short-term results will likely be weighted heavily in evaluations.