Gennaro Gattuso has stepped down as Italy head coach following the team's failure to qualify for the World Cup, marking the third consecutive edition the four-time winners will miss. The decision came after a chaotic week for Italian football, which saw the federation president and national team delegation head also resign.
Italy were eliminated by Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff on Tuesday, losing on penalties in Zenica. The result compounded a poor qualifying campaign that began with a 3-0 defeat to Norway in June, which cost predecessor Luciano Spalletti his job.
Gattuso, a former Milan and Rangers midfielder, took over with Italy already struggling. Despite winning five qualifiers in a row, a 4-1 loss to Norway in the final group game left them needing a playoff. After beating Northern Ireland 2-0, Italy led Bosnia but Alessandro Bastoni's red card turned the tie, leading to a penalty shootout defeat.
In his statement, Gattuso said: 'With a heavy heart, having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over. The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.'
The week also saw Gabriele Gravina resign as federation president and Gianluigi Buffon step down as delegation head. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin warned Italy risked losing co-hosting rights for Euro 2032 due to poor stadium infrastructure, which he described as 'some of the worst in Europe'.
