Roma midfielder and former Italy international Damiano Tommasi was elected mayor of the northern city of Verona in elections held on Sunday with 54.4% of the vote.
The 48-year-old candidate was ahead of outgoing President Federico Spaarina, who won 46.6% of the vote.
Tomasi is not affiliated with any political party, but was supported in the final round by the Democratic Party (center left) and a coalition of other parties.
Former AS Roma and Hellas Verona footballer Damiano #Tommasi elected mayor of Verona.
June 26, 2022#elezioniamministrative2022#DamianoTommasipic.twitter.com/cjf9pOAseH
— Crazy moments in Italian politics (@CrazyItalianPol) June 27, 2022
This is not the first time that Tomasi has taken on an important leadership position: between 2011 and 2018, he was president of the Italian Professional Players Association for nine years.
Tommasi was born in Verona where he started his football career at the Hellas Verona club academy playing for his first team between 1993 and 1996 before he came to Rome where he played for 10 years from 1996 to 2006 and won with him. his last league title in 2001 under the eminent coach Fabio Capello.
He then moved to the Spanish League to defend the Levante colors until 2008 and then moved for a few months to Queens Park Rangers who played in the second English tier of the “Championship” and then to the Chinese Super League to defend the colors.” Levante”. Tianjin Teda for one season before returning to play in his country in the lower grades until 2019.
Tomasi played 25 caps for Italy between 1998 and 2003 and participated in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Source: AFP