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, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, and UEFA European Championship draws.[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.