Tavecchio elected as Italian federation president amid racism row

The 71-year-old, head of the Italian Amateur Leagues' Association (LDN), won 63.63 percent of the 278 votes while his opponent, former Italy and AC Milan midfielder Demetrio Albertini, won 33.93 percent, the FIGC said.

"I will be everyone's president," he said after being chosen.

Tavecchio sparked a race row when he was making a speech about a lack of opportunities for Italian players at professional clubs.

He referred to a fictitious player he named Opti Poba, "who previously ate bananas and then suddenly becomes a first team player with Lazio."

Jeffrey Webb, head of FIFA's racism task force, said "the football community is appalled by the recent racist comments made by Carlo Tavecchio".

Piara Power, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), added: "To have someone who has said the sort of things that he's said, said them in the way he's said them, to become a president of one of the top five footballing countries in Europe really is going to be quite a big shock".

Albertini won the votes of the players' and coaches' associations, plus a number of Serie A clubs, while Tavecchio retained the support of the Lega Pro, representing the third and fourth division clubs, and his own LDN who between them hold more than 50 percent of the votes.

"I wanted to be an alternative but we have revisited the corporatism of the leagues," Albertini told reporters. "It's always a difficult block to disrupt."

Tavecchio replaces Giancarlo Abete who resigned as FIGC president following Italy's group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup.

One of his first jobs will be to appoint a replacement for former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli who also quit after his side went out of the World Cup.

Antonio Conte, who led Juventus to three successive Serie A titles before resigning last month, is the favourite followed by former Manchester City and Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini.