Giorgio Marchetti

Italian sports official

Giorgio Marchetti (born c. 1965)[1] is an Italian sports official who is the vice secretary general of UEFA. He is most widely known for his role as the master of ceremonies of the UEFA Champions League draw.[2][3]

Career

Marchetti has worked in football since the 1980s.[1] He became general secretary of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti in 1997, and oversaw new transfer systems, calendars, and licensing in Italy.[1]

In 2003, he was appointed marking director of UEFA, becoming the first Italian to hold the position when he assumed the position in 2004.[1][4] He went on to become director of UEFA competitions.[1][3]

In 2016, Marchetti was appointed head of the UEFA Champions League draw, after his predecessor Gianni Infantino was elected president of FIFA.[3] Since then, he has developed what observers have called "a cult following" on social media,[5] and is known for his "unflappable" demeanor during the draws.[2]

In 2020, as director of competitions for UEFA, he was responsible for proposing alternative formats for the Champions League and Europa League seasons, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic.[6] In December 2021, he apologised publicly after technical errors required him to order the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw to be completely redrawn.[7][2]

Personal life

Marchetti is married and has three children.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Chi è Giorgio Marchetti". Calcio Finanza (in Italian). 26 November 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Flanagan, Chris; McCambridge, Ed (September 2022). "30 Years of the Champions League". Four Four Two. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via EBSCOHost.
  3. ^ a b c "Marchetti, el desconocido nuevo hombre de las bolas". El Mundo (in Spanish). 17 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. ^ "L' Uefa adesso parla italiano Marchetti direttore marketing". gazzetta.it.
  5. ^ "Inside the Champions League draw with Giorgio Marchetti". Daily Star. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. ^ Burt, Jason (16 March 2020). "UEFA moves to save Champions League". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via EBSCOHost.
  7. ^ "Champions League last-16 draw 'entirely redone' after 'technical problem'". Sky News. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Marchetti, big dell'Uefa: Europei splendidi, e ora avanti con il fairplay. Mai la Superlega". gelocal.it. 10 August 2021.