Italian football is in crisis – but at the same time other sports are celebrating great success. The sociologists Beppe Russo and Marco Bifulco as well as athletics president Stefano Mei explain what is behind this change.
It was not foreseeable at the time that June 24, 2014 would mark a turning point for Italian football. Cesare Prandelli’s team lost 1-0 against Uruguay – a defeat that is remembered primarily for Luis Suárez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder. In retrospect, however, it became almost historic for another reason: it is the last game for a “Squadra Azzurra” at a World Cup.
The Italian Tifosi’s fever dream has already lasted twelve years, and since the bitter playoff defeat on penalties against Bosnia it has been clear that there will be at least four more years. An unreal scenario for a former football power whose World Cup successes Italy’s youth only know from hearsay.
From football depression to sporting renaissance
But at the same time, another story is happening. While football is on the rocks, the country is experiencing a sporting upswing that it hasn’t experienced in a long time.
Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli is happy after his victory at the Japanese GP
Tennis star Jannik Sinner inspires millions, in Formula 1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli is considered one of the greatest talents of his generation, athletics and volleyball are celebrating international success – and Italy was also one of the strongest nations at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
This contrast raises a central question: Is football losing its role as the undisputed lodestar of Italian sporting culture?
“In a situation where football is so weak, there is a risk that it will be replaced as the leading sport of Italians”confirms sociologist Beppe Russo from the University of Florence. “This is also a big cultural change because for Italy football is like the autobiography of the nation. If you want to understand how the country is changing culturally and economically, you have to read the changes in football.”
Football as a mirror social crisis
The fact that calcio is tumbling in this country is a sign of a change in “Italianità” – that is, Italian identity – and also a moment of great uncertainty. “It’s those changes that you know you’re going through, but you don’t know exactly where they’re going,” Russo continues. “Football, with its weaknesses, helps us understand how delicate this cultural transition is in the country as a whole.”
The dilemma is also reflected in the ambivalent relationship between the national team and its Tifosi. “The team is currently perceived with a certain resignation,” explains Marco Bifulco, sports sociologist at the University of Naples. “We know that we are in a long phase without outstanding players, talents and medium-term prospects for success. Nobody understands exactly the reasons, also because they are very complex and cannot be traced back to a single cause.”
Italian fans sit in the stands disappointed after their team’s defeat
Structural problems in young people
The inability of the Italian football system to deliver top performance is causing public irritation. “Anyone who goes into bars or public places immediately notices that the passion for this sport is still alive,” explains Bifulco. “It is difficult to understand how a country that was producing champions just a few years ago is now having such difficulty qualifying for a World Cup.”
The contrast to other sports is particularly striking in the youth sector. “While tennis or athletics specifically promote young talent, such opportunities for development are missing in football.”explains Bifulco. Former world champion Jürgen Klinsmann, who wore the Inter Milan jersey during the heyday of Serie A (1989 – 1992), even suspected in a recent interview with “Gazzetta dello Sport” that “Yamal and Musiala in Italy would probably be sent to Serie B to gain experience there”.
Athletics as a model for success
A closer look at the structures of Italian athletics shows how it works better, where young talents develop through targeted support and systematic youth work and are led to the top of international sport in the long term.
“We have invested heavily in youth work, with targeted projects such as the talent development plan – and today we are reaping the fruits of this work”explains association president Stefano Mei. “The young stars like long jumper Mattia Furlani or long-distance runner Nadia Battocletti not only ensure the necessary generational change, but also raise the level of athletics as a whole.”
Stefano Mei, President of the Italian Athletics Federation
When Italy was at the top of the medal table at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome with nine wins, the then DLV sports director and current board member Jörg Bügner attributed the “Azzurri’s” triumphs to home advantage – a mistake, as has long since become clear. “Italy is now firmly among the most competitive sporting nations in Europe”says Mei.
Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani celebrates his gold medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships
Sinner provides relief
However, it is mainly the South Tyrolean tennis star Jannik Sinner who is providing relief for the battered soul of the people, who sparked a similar enthusiasm to that of Boris Becker in Germany in the 1980s. “Sinner’s popularity is crucial for the increased media interest. It brings identification, enthusiasm and new subscribers”says Bifulco.
The numbers confirm this: tennis broadcasts achieve high ratings even on pay TV channels, but the women’s national volleyball team and the successes in athletics also arouse the enthusiasm of young generations. Sport in Italy is no longer monothematic – it is becoming more differentiated, even if football is still the heart of many Tifosi.
A new, diverse sports culture
Russo summarizes the cultural shift: “Football is not immediately losing its dominance, but fans’ identifications are becoming more heterogeneous. Young Italians are also defining themselves through individual sports, such as tennis or athletics. The culture of sport is becoming more diverse.”
Italy is therefore at a crossroads: on the one hand, the nostalgic longing for football’s glorious past, on the other hand, a new era in which young talents shine in several disciplines, diversify the sporting landscape and create new role models.
“Nevertheless, I doubt that these sporting triumphs can fully console the Italian fans in the face of the national team’s failure.”says Bifulco. “Through tradition, passion and expectations, football remains a central anchor of collective identification.”
