The FIGC president asks the coach to stay and does not leave: “He is a great coach. The evaluations of me will be made in the appropriate place. The reflection is also up to the world of politics, which I see is accelerating only due to the request for resignation”
At the table in the Zenica press room next to Rino Gattuso is the federal president Gabriele Gravina. Low, gloomy gaze. The first words are addressed to the coach: “I asked him to stay, he is a great coach. You haven’t seen a moment of great humanity in the locker room between him and the boys, with whom there is great harmony. They were heroic, they gave everything, then you will make your assessments, but the technical part must certainly be safeguarded”.
resignation
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Gravina then talks about his future: “There is a Federal Council which is the right place to make these assessments, I have convened one for next week, we will make the assessments, internally. I understand the request for resignation at once, I have been used to it lately. But the decisions will be made there”. We then talk about the referee: “In a match like this some decisions deserved more in-depth analysis but we must think that there is a world that needs to be redesigned with clarity, without allowing ourselves to be overcome by disappointment and bitterness which are profound at the moment. We will make much more in-depth reflections in the designated offices, it must be taken into account when making these discussions that the football federation cannot decide how to set up a team, we summarize what the championship makes available”.
other sports
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He is then asked why Italy wins in other sports and not in football: “Football is a professional sport, the others are amateur, we make relationships on the basis of equity. Different choices can be made, such as the involvement of young people within the under teams in their own tournaments, the others are state sports, like the winter ones, apart from Arianna Fontana they are all state employees. We know we are in a moment of great crisis, the reflection is also up to the world of politics, which I see is accelerating only due to the demand of resignation. I would like only one provision that will help us in our growth. It applies to the system of rules, which prevent you from adopting certain choices, it is clear that we are objectively responsible, I have always taken on mine as I did tonight, but what happened must not affect what the boys did, who deserve great respect this evening.”
buffoon
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Gigi Buffon, head of the Italian delegation, also speaks: “We need to think with a cool head, calmly. Now we have to get over this evening, the objective was to go to the World Cup and we didn’t succeed. Not everything should be thrown away but we can’t talk about it now. However, our season ends in June and so I think it’s right for me and the staff to stay out of respect for the Federation that chose us. Then we’ll see.”
La Gazzetta dello Sport
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