Italy’s soccer chief told to quit after latest World Cup failure

Italy’s sports minister has called on the country’s soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina to resign after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup on Tuesday.

Italy’s penalty shootout loss to 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoffs comes after the Azzurri were eliminated at the same stage by Sweden ahead of the 2018 World Cup and by North Macedonia in 2022.

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“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC.”

Gravina is still holding onto his job after also surviving the qualifying elimination for the 2022 World Cup.

“Next week we will make much deeper reflections on the situation,” Gravina said, hinting that he could call for a new election for the country’s top soccer position. “There are a lot of evaluations to consider.”

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has also yet to give any indication about his own future after taking over when Luciano Spalletti was fired after Italy lost its opening qualifier to Norway last year.

“I’m not interested at all in talking about my future today,” Gattuso said following the loss in Bosnia. “It hurts, it really hurts. More than hurting me, it hurts to see this group which has really given everything in these months and I think we deserved to get back what we put in and I honestly think it’s too reductive and too immature to be talking about my future today.”

Gattuso was given a contract until the end of this summer’s World Cup, with an automatic renewal until 2028 if Italy reached the tournament in North America.

Even if Gattuso hasn’t made up his mind whether to stay or not, the Italian soccer federation gave a clear sign it would like him to remain on Tuesday.

“I have to praise Gattuso. I think he’s been a great coach, he is a great coach, I’ve asked him to stay on in charge of these players,” Gravina said.

The issues in Italian soccer extend beyond the national team.

The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010; while in this season’s continental competition, all four Italian clubs were eliminated before the quarterfinals.

Added former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi: “Unfortunately the third consecutive elimination from the World Cup is not an April Fool’s joke. It’s a sign that Italian soccer has failed. Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.