Fisi prosecutors archive Franzoso death case but flag coaches' safety lapses

Archived case, criticised conduct

Italian newspapers of the Nem group reported on 8 October 2026 that the disciplinary case over the death of Matteo Franzoso had been archived by the federal prosecutor's office of Fisi, the Italian winter sports federation, led by Stefania Cappa. Franzoso, 25, died on 15 September 2025 in Santiago de Chile, two days after a fall during training on the La Parva piste. Open and Blick date the crash to 13 September. The archiving decision was taken on 5 February 2026 and endorsed by the Procura generale of the Coni, headed by Ugo Taucer. Prosecutors found too little evidence to bring disciplinary action against federation members, though the file can be reopened if ordinary justice produces new elements.

What the file says

According to the file, the death cannot be traced to a single cause. Franzoso's wrong manoeuvre combined with the course conditions, and a rigid wooden barrier used as a windbreak, placed a few metres from the track, is identified as the main cause of death. Several athletes had flagged that stretch as dangerous before the accident. The course had been set by an Austrian trace setter whom the Italian team trusted, but prosecutors said the Italian staff did not carry out a further check, a gap that affected how predictable and avoidable the crash was. Corriere delle Alpi, which published passages of the file, reports that it speaks of 'censurable' conduct by technicians of the national team.

Federation response

Fisi called the newspaper coverage 'indelicate, dated and disrespectful' and linked it to the upcoming elections. The federation said it had asked the federal prosecutor for a supplementary investigation despite the favourable opinion from the Coni prosecutors.

Any other reading is specious and, at this stage of the federation's life, can only be considered manifestly instrumental.

The federation's statement also says that the ordinary prosecutors' inquiries into both accidents, Franzoso's and that of Matilde Lorenzi, who died on 26 October 2024 after an accident in Val Senales, are still ongoing. Corriere della Sera reports that Fisi said it did not see specific responsibility on the part of its members.

The vote on 10 October

Corriere della Sera links the timing of the reports to federal elections on Saturday 10 October in Verona. Flavio Roda needs at least 66.67% of the votes to win a final mandate as president, otherwise new elections will follow a period of administration by commissioners. His challengers, Roberto Bortoluzzi and Antonio Noris, are aiming to keep him below that threshold. Corriere writes that some readers see the media attention as a possible move ahead of the vote. Blick reports that the federation objected to the reports being connected to the assembly of 10 October.

Family and next steps

Open reports the anger of the family, who asked officials to tell them the truth. Fanpage says the parents are also asking for the truth and that the case could be reopened if new elements emerge. Fisi said the ordinary prosecutors' inquiries into both accidents were still in progress at the time of its statement.