Gabriele Gravina, President of the Italian Football Federation, Resigns After Failure to Qualify for the World Cup
Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation, resigned following the national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. He had been in charge of the federation since 2018, and after increasing pressure from government and sports institutions, he decided to step down.
This decision came after Italy’s loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoff match, which resulted in their elimination from the World Cup qualifiers. The failure sparked a wave of criticism from the media and official authorities, challenging the management’s position and putting the federation’s leadership under serious scrutiny.
The Italian Football Federation announced that an extraordinary meeting will be held on June 22 to elect a new president. Additionally, Gravina was scheduled to appear before the parliamentary committee on April 8 to report on the state of football in the country, but this session has been postponed until a new leadership is appointed.
Italy’s national team last qualified for the World Cup in2014, and since their 2006 victory, they have only won once in the competition. This poor performance has been a significant factor in the growing criticism of the federation’s management over recent years.
Following these developments, Gianluigi Buffon, the former goalkeeper of the national team and a member of the 2006 World Cup-winning team, who was also involved in the national team in a managerial capacity, also resigned from his position. This move signals major changes within the Italian football management structure.
Gravina, who was elected unopposed to the position in 2018, was re-elected in 2021 and 2025, and was supposed to remain in office until 2028. However, the successive failures in World Cup qualification and mounting pressure made it impossible for him to continue in the role.
Despite Italy’s victory in Euro 2020 during his tenure, the failure to qualify for the World Cup overshadowed his overall performance, with his positive achievements being overshadowed by recent poor results.
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