The storm in rhythmic gymnastics will not be appealed soon And not only because there are two processes, one disciplinary and one criminal, for alleged mistreatment, still open or about to reopen. From today Emanuela Maccarani is no longer the technical manager of the butterflies and not even their coach. The new federal president, who is responsible for the choice of the technical direction he has taken on interim to himself until June, just elected, supported by unanimously by the Federal Council, made a choice of total discontinuity with respect to previous managementRescinding the Maccarani contract after 30 years, which since March 27, 2025 no longer has access to the Federal Technical Center of Desio which was his and blue headquarters of the rhythmic known with the nickname “butterflies”.
Predictable, but divisive for the way
The very little notice – which led Maccarani to report that he was fired with an email the day before the eviction – is again breaking the environment: On the one hand, Capitana Centofanti squeezes Instagram around the coach, discussed and today under accusation, but the architect of many years of international success. On the other, the federal organs move compact towards the new course.
The readings of the dialogue between them on 21 March diverge between President and Maccarani: the President would have considered a notice to have spoken of discontinuity to the technical direction; Maccarani says he has not understood that he had also included having to pass his hand as a coach. Maccarani and those who support it believe that this damages the ongoing preparation and throws up in the environment more than the complaints of 2022.
For its part The new federal president Andrea Facci, 41 years old, the youngest of the presidents of the Italian national sports federations, intervening at the first public release on March 26, said he believed the season of men and women alone to command. It is difficult to argue that a change of pace was not in the air after the controversial previous management: a forced charge for mistreatment is not something that can be ignored.
Who is the new federal president
“Athlete, coach, race officer, corporate and federal manager”, reads the curriculum of Andrea Facci, “for 16 years in the FGI Veneto Regional Committee and since 2017 within the National Federation. Three -year degree in political science and international relations and master’s degree in international politics and diplomacy, in Padua ».
The only candidate for the presidency Federal of the Italian Gymnastics Federation, given that the predecessor Tecchi, who ended up in the spotlight for the interceptions that found him on the phone with the prosecutor Federal Rossetti, whose violation of independence has affected the federal disciplinary procedure against Maccarani, did not re -comply, Facci was elected with the Bulgarian percentage of with 98.7% of the votes.
And today there are those who ironize that his degree in diplomacy would have seen little in Maccarani’s “Pronti-via” dismissal. As vice -presidents, on the proposal of the President, Franco Mantero were elected, with the functions of Vicar, and Fabrizia D’Ottavio, Part of the group of “butterflies” in the first hour, at the time of the Olympic silver of the Athens 2004: she also said she was convinced of the need for a change. Speaking of the theme of discontinuity and the need not to concentrate all the power in the same hands, certainly one of the negative elements of the previous, which we have undergone many times on these pages, it must be said that the past had not always worked with the centralization in a few hands that had occurred in recent years. Until 2018, the year in which the Historical Technical Director Marina Piazza retired, the technical direction and the role of coach of the national team were separated.
Gef and the new international ethical standards
It runs rumor that for the known events, the management of the Italy Gymnastics Federation was under observation of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (Gef), with the risk of sanctions if there had not been signs of discontinuity and that this may have influenced the sudden intervention.
The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (Gef) was founded in January 2019 by the International Gymnastics Federation (164 affiliated national federations). It works independently to ensure that the violations of the rules, policies and fig procedures, including ethical violations, are managed impartially. His duties are: Safeguarding: (protect athletes and other participants in gymnastics from harassment and abuse). Disciplinary (carrying out disciplinary procedures in accordance with policies and fig procedures). Compliance (monitoring of good government and ethical principles of fig and its members). The question as we underline several times of the ethics and the psychophysical well -being of athletes in disciplines in which the leaders of minors are achieved or even more is not only essential but a problem that arises worldwide.
What happens now
Maccarani has announced that he did not intend to resign from the Coni junta where he represents all Italian technicians, whose last session will be April 14. You will soon have to decide who will take their place to the leadership of the national rhythmic national team, to guarantee continuity to the preparation. The new president made it clear that he was willing to accept a transition phase in which the results may also not be in the immediate sectors to the past, in order to ensure less controversial methods. But at that point they will need wide shoulders, because the controversies, already underground in the environment, must be bet, will explode by refreshing the divisions.
