Gabriele Gravina resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) after the Italian national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
He submitted his resignation at an extraordinary meeting of the FIGC General Council, held after Italy’s defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final for the World Cup, which confirmed another major failure of Italian football.
Local media reports that the meeting was attended by the leading people of Italian football, including Serie A president Ezio Simonelli, Serie B president Paolo Bedino, Serie C president Matteo Marani, as well as representatives of amateur leagues, players and coaches.
The election of a new president is scheduled for June 22, when Italian football will receive a new leadership in an attempt to overcome a deep crisis.
Gravina has been at the head of the FIGC since 2018. During his tenure, Italy won UEFA Euro 2020, but simultaneously missed out on qualifying for the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. Italy did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup either, meaning they will miss three consecutive tournaments.
During his tenure, Gravina brought coaches Luciano Spalletti and Gennaro Gattuso to the bench, but even those changes did not bring the desired result.
After the last failure, criticism from the public and football officials became louder, with calls for changes at the top of the association. Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said that it is clear that Italian football needs a thorough renewal, starting with the leadership of the association.
The former head of the Italian Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malago, as well as Giancarlo Abete and Matteo Marani are mentioned as potential candidates for the new FIGC president.
