Gennaro Gattuso quit as Italy coach on Friday, as the Azzurri’s failure to reach a third straight World Cup continued to send shockwaves through Italian football.
A World Cup winner in 2006, Gattuso leaves after less than a year in charge of Italy, a team which has fallen far behind historic rivals like France and Spain in the last two decades.
Defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday’s qualification play-off final ended up costing Gattuso his job, as the man who hired him also stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
“With a heavy heart, and having fallen short of the goal we set ourselves, I feel my time as head coach of the national team has come to an end,” Gattuso said in a statement.
“The Azzurri shirt is the most precious thing in football, and for that reason it’s only right to make way immediately for the federation’s future decisions.
“It has been an honour to lead the national team, especially with a group of players who have shown such commitment and dedication.”
Gabriele Gravina had asked Gattuso to stay on immediately after elimination in Zenica but his departure, and that of national team general manager Gianluigi Buffon, paved the way for the 48-year-old’s exit after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Gattuso took charge of Italy in June last year following the sacking of Luciano Spalletti, himself a victim of a dismal title defence at Euro 2024 and a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Erling Haaland’s Norway in their first World Cup qualifier.
His record is impressive on paper, with six wins, one defeat and one draw in eight matches with 22 goals scored and 10 conceded.
But that draw was the 1-1 with Bosnia which preceded a penalty shoot-out in which Italy missed twice, while the loss was another humiliating one to Norway, this time 4-1 at the San Siro.
Gattuso was considered by many a strange choice to replace Spalletti due to his spotty club coaching record, and he was heavily criticised after Tuesday’s elimination.
Italy were second best nearly the whole game, and completely conceded the initiative when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off not long before half-time.
Bosnia could easily have won the game in normal time but once Italy managed to get to the shoot-out Gattuso selected inexperienced Pio Esposito to take the first penalty, which the 20-year-old smashed over the bar.
The upheaval caused by failing to qualify for this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, means the national team will have an interim coach for a friendly with Greece on June 7.
Two former national team coaches in Roberto Mancini, who led Italy to victory at Euro 2020, and Antonio Conte are the names most frequently cited as Gattuso’s replacement.
But no new coach will be announced until after the FIGC’s board vote on a new president on June 22, Gravina falling on his sword a day after sports minister Andrea Abodi called on him to go.
Italy’s failure to reach the first ever 48-team World Cup -- which will feature the likes of Cape Verde and Curacao -- led Abodi to release a statement saying: “It’s clear that Italian football needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and that starts with changes at the top of the FIGC.”
That came a day after Gravina had hit out at politicians “who have only pushed for resignations”, while also admitting Italian football “is in a profound crisis”.
Italy’s footballing woes do not just relate to diminishing performances by the national team.
No Serie A club has won the Champions League since 2010.
The country is due to co-host Euro 2032 with Turkey but on Thursday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin hit out at the state of Italy’s stadiums, warning the country could be stripped of hosting rights.
“I just hope that the infrastructure (in Italy) will be ready. If that’s not the case, the tournament will not be held in Italy,” Ceferin said in an interview with the Gazzetta Dello Sport.
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