Franco Carraro

Franco Carraro
Carraro in 2013
Member of the Senate of the Republic
In office
15 March 2013 – 22 March 2018
ConstituencyEmilia-Romagna
Mayor of Rome
In office
19 December 1989 – 19 April 1993
Preceded byPietro Giubilo
Succeeded byFrancesco Rutelli
Minister of Tourism and Entertainment
In office
28 July 1987 – 6 February 1990
Preceded byMario Di Lazzaro
Succeeded byCarlo Tognoli
President of CONI
In office
8 March 1978 – 7 February 1987
Preceded byGiulio Onesti
Succeeded byArrigo Gattai
President of FIGC
In office
11 June 2001 – 25 May 2006
Preceded byGianni Petrucci
Succeeded byGuido Rossi (as extraordinary commissioner of FIGC)
In office
7 February 1986 – 18 March 1987
Preceded byFederico Sordillo
Succeeded byAndrea Manzella (as extraordinary vice-commissioner of FIGC)
In office
10 April 1976 – 8 March 1978
Preceded byArtemio Franchi
Succeeded byArtemio Franchi
Personal details
Born (1939-12-06) 6 December 1939
Padua, Italy
PartyForza Italia (since 2013)
Other political
affiliations
PSI (1980s–1994)
PdL (2009–2013)
ProfessionSports manager, politician
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Franco Carraro (born 6 December 1939) is an Italian sports manager and politician with a career spanning over five decades. During his career, Carraro came to hold a series of positions and roles within sports and finance industries, and in both private and public sectors. For decades, he was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and remains an honorary member after the approval of an age limit in 2019.

From 1966 and 1971, Carraro was associated with the Italian association football club Milan during a successful spell for the club. He began working for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) during the 1970s, serving three terms as FIGC president between 1976 and 2006 when he resigned due to the 2006 Italian football scandal, and one term as CONI president from 1978 to 1987. During the 1990s, he was also president of the National Professionals League (LNP), better known as Lega Calcio (equivalent of The Football Association in England), the governing body of Serie A and Serie B.

Carraro's political career began in the 1980s when he joined the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). From 1987 to 1991, he was Minister of Tourism and Entertainment. In 1989, he was elected mayor of Rome by the City Council of Rome, serving until 1993 with the establishment of the direct election of mayors. In the 2000s and 2010s, Carraro was associated with the political parties of Silvio Berlusconi. From 2013 to 2018, he was a member of the Senate of the Republic. Despite his later association with centre-right politics, Carraro continued to define himself as a socialist, dating back to his youth.

Carraro's legacy is complex as he left a significant mark on sports and achieved many successes and much influence through the FIGC, CONI, and IOC, presiding over the rise and fall of Italian football. On the other hand, his career was marred by a series of scandals and controversies, although most of the time he was not affected by them. His numerous roles earned him a series of nicknames and the identification with the status quo and the establishment.