Italian Youth and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said that Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina should resign because the Italian National Team lost its chance to participate in the World Cup finals for the third time in a row with last night’s defeat in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The shocks and debates created in Italian football continue after Italy was eliminated in the penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina last night in the final matches of the play-off round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifications.
Abodi, Minister of Sports in Italy, which will not be able to go to the World Cup finals for the third time in a row with the defeat in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said in an event, “This is a definite defeat. If we have not been able to participate in the World Cup for three championships, we need to make some serious evaluations and think about the need to rebuild Italian football.” he said.
Pointing to FIGC President Gravina, Abodi said, “Today is not an ordinary day and it cannot be satisfactory to throw the responsibility to others, to say ‘We expected more from the institutions’. It is necessary to act more measuredly and try to achieve victory through planning, not by chance success. I think it is clear that if an organization fails in general in the world cup, the leadership must take responsibility. Because I believe that individual conscience is the priority and this does not seem to come out at all. I expect better answers from the President of the Italian Football Federation. From the World Cup in Brazil When we were eliminated, (then FIGC President Giancarlo) Abete resigned and (then FIGC President Carlo) Tavecchio did the same in 2018.” made his assessment.
The Minister of Youth and Sports also said that he met with the President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Luciano Bonfiglio, and invited him to consider all possibilities, including the appointment of a trustee to the FIGC.
President Gravina, who many sports commentators in the country said should “resign”, stated after the match that they would evaluate this issue in the federation’s board of directors.
Meanwhile, it was also reported in the press that Gravina called the federation management for an emergency meeting tomorrow.
– Legends agree not qualifying for the World Cup is a “blow” for Italian football
Dino Zoff, who was guarding the goal of the national team that won the 1982 World Cup, said to the ANSA agency, “My mood is like that of those who played on the field yesterday. Unfortunately, we were eliminated. This is a blow for Italian football. If you cannot go 3 times, it is difficult to talk about bad luck here. It means something is not going right here.” he said.
Asked about the discussions that there should be resignations in the FIGC, Zoff said, “It is not my place to say this. I do not get into these dynamics.” he replied.
Alessandro Altobelli, who was in the squad that won the championship in 1982, said the following in his statement to the Italpress agency:
“I watched the match last night with my friends. We were very excited. We knew how important the match was, but when it ended we were disappointed with the result. This is a blow for Italian football. I respect the federation president Gravina, (Gennaro) Gattuso, (Gianluigi) Buffon and everyone else, but yesterday was a special evening and the only thing to do after this defeat was to resign. The federation management may not have accepted it, but they had to act responsibly.”
On the other hand, it was reported that eggs were thrown at the building where the federation’s headquarters is located in Rome last night, after Italy was eliminated by Bosnia and Herzegovina.
