After the "Azzurri" missed out on the World Cup for the third consecutive time, many changes at the top of the FIGC have plunged Italian football into instability.
On the evening of April 2nd (Vietnam time), less than 48 hours after Italy's defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina in the 2026 World Cup European play-off final, the President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, resigned.
Short term
This action is a natural consequence of immense pressure from public opinion and Italian sports officials as the "Azzurri" became the first former world champions to miss three consecutive World Cups. Andrea Abodi, the country's Minister of Sport, is continuing to increase the pressure by calling for a "complete change of the FIGC leadership".
Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup has exposed many systemic problems (Photo: The Guardian).
Shortly afterwards, the head of the Italian national team, Gianluigi Buffon, also announced his resignation. According to the media in this Southern European country, the next person likely to leave his position is coach Gennaro Gattuso, who only led the "Azzurri" for 10 months. It seems that this short tenure has ended in a "shameful" way.
However, what worries Italian fans most is not the ongoing turmoil at the FIGC. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport , UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated that Italy could lose its co-hosting rights for Euro 2032 with Turkey if infrastructure in the South European country is not improved.
"Euro 2032 has been planned and will definitely take place. I just hope that the infrastructure (in Italy) will be ready. Otherwise, the tournament will not be held in Italy. The country's politicians should ask themselves why their football infrastructure is among the worst in Europe," said Ceferin.
Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina announced his resignation following his team's defeat (Photo: FIGC)
The losses amounted to approximately 30 million euros.
In October, Italy must announce the list of five stadiums that will host Euro 2032. However, currently only Juventus' Allianz Stadium meets UEFA's requirements. Meanwhile, Fiorentina's Artemio Franchi stadium is undergoing renovations, while Milan's San Siro, Napoli's Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and a new stadium in Rome have planned upgrades or construction but have not yet begun.
Plans to upgrade the San Siro stadium have not yet been implemented (Photo: The Guardian)
Two months ago, the FIGC released its draft budget for 2026, predicting a deficit of around 6.6 million euros. At the time, Mr. Gravina had high hopes for the "Azzurri's" performance at the World Cup to salvage the current difficult financial situation. However, after their defeat in the play-off against Bosnia & Herzegovina, the FIGC will suffer losses of around 30 million euros due to breaches of sponsorship and commercial contracts and the loss of FIFA prize money.
The national team's repeated failures and the deteriorating infrastructure are just two sides of the same coin. It's a lack of long-term vision and a comprehensive development strategy. When the foundation is weak, any short-term success, like winning Euro 2020, becomes fragile.