MILAN – The head of Italy’s football federation (FIGC) resigned on Thursday, falling on his sword after the men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Gabriele Gravina revealed he would step down as the country’s top football official following a meeting held at the FIGC’s headquarters in Rome, a day after Sport Minister Andrea Abodi called on him to resign.
Four-time World Cup winners Italy fell at the play-offs again on Tuesday, this time after a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will miss this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The shock waves of the latest humiliation for one of the world’s most successful football nations forced Gravina, 72, to go back on his initial plans to wait until a FIGC board meeting next week to announce a decision on his future.
The FIGC said in a statement that a vote for a new president would be held on June 22. Giovanni Malagò, the former long-time head of the Italian Olympic Committee who was president of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics organisation committee, is reportedly one of the names in the hat.
Gattuso Expected to Follow, Buffon Resigns
Before then, head coach Gennaro Gattuso is expected to also step down, while general manager Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy goalkeeper, announced his resignation on Thursday. The departure of Buffon, a 2006 World Cup winner and one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history, signals a complete overhaul of Italy’s football leadership structure.
Political Pressure Mounts
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.”
Gravina’s Tenure: A Mixed Legacy
Gravina was elected FIGC president in October 2018, becoming the permanent replacement for Carlo Tavecchio, who stepped down following Italy’s first World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden the previous year. The highlight of his reign was Italy’s thrilling triumph at Euro 2020, when an Azzurri team under Roberto Mancini, which went unbeaten for 37 matches, beat England at Wembley to be crowned kings of the continent for the second time.
But two World Cup qualification failures and a dismal defence of the European title left Gravina with little choice but to resign as Italy’s football woes deepen. The failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was followed by the 2026 disaster, marking three consecutive World Cups without the Azzurri—an unthinkable scenario for a nation that has won the tournament four times.
UEFA Threatens to Strip Euro 2032 Hosting Rights
Italy’s football troubles do not just relate to diminishing performances by the national team and Serie A clubs—none of whom have won the Champions League since 2010. On Thursday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin hit out at the state of Italy’s stadiums, warning the country could be stripped of hosting rights for Euro 2032, which Italy is due to co-host with Turkey.
“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 Gazzetta Dello Sport.
The warning adds to the sense of crisis surrounding Italian football. While the national team has struggled, the country’s stadium infrastructure has lagged behind other European nations, with many venues outdated and in need of renovation.
Contrast with Other Sports
Italy’s football malaise contrasts sharply with its success in other sports. Italy claimed a record 30 medals at the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, including 10 golds, and left the 2024 Summer Games in Paris with 40 medals. The Mediterranean nation also has top performers in a wide variety of other sports, such as tennis star Jannik Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam winner.
Gravina caused anger on Tuesday by referring to other sports as “amateur” and “state sports” compared to football due to the large number of athletes, particularly Olympians, who are nominally employed by different branches of Italy’s armed forces and police.
The Road Ahead
The FIGC will hold elections for a new president on June 22. Whoever takes over will face the monumental task of rebuilding Italian football from the ground up—addressing not only the national team’s performance but also the structural issues that have seen Serie A fall behind Europe’s elite leagues.
The new president will need to appoint a new head coach (with Gattuso expected to step down), work with clubs to modernize stadiums, and develop a strategy to revive Italy’s fortunes on the international stage. With the 2026 World Cup taking place without the Azzurri, the focus will now shift to the 2028 European Championship and beyond.
For Italian football fans, already reeling from three consecutive World Cup absences, the resignation of Gravina is a necessary first step. But the road to recovery will be long, and there are no guarantees that the next leadership will fare any better.
