Former FIGC president Luciano Nizzola mourned

“The world of football salutes a manager who was an honourable man,” said current FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. “His spirit of service and willingness marked an era. In the various roles he held, he also distinguished himself for the decisive impetus that he [gave] our system in those years.”

During Nizzola’s presidency, Italy reached the UEFA EURO 2000 final. Before his tenure as FIGC president, he held a similar role at Lega Serie A. “The whole Serie A League expresses its deepest condolences to [his] family members, and shares its pain in his passing,” said a statement. “Under his management, Italian football experienced one of its best periods, in Europe and the world.”

A civil lawyer and experienced sports manager, Nizzola served as CEO of Serie A club Torino between 1982 and 1987. He was described in a tribute by Torino as “a proud and diplomatic sports manager.”

“He was a man of exceptional class,” remembered former Torino midfielder and coach Ezio Rossi. “With a composure that hardly exists anymore in today’s modern football."

"I remember his calmness and his balance, a fundamental skill in a football manager," Rossi added. "Italian football was at the centre of Europe, if not of the world, and he was able to make a strong and technical Torino compete on an equal footing.”