Italy’s latest World Cup qualifying disappointment has triggered a political backlash in Rome, with allies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calling for urgent reform of the country’s football leadership and demanding the resignation of federation president Gabriele Gravina.
On Wednesday, the party of Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, requested an official parliamentary briefing from the sports minister, Andrea Abodi, after the men’s national football team failed for the third consecutive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
Lawmakers from the ruling centre-right coalition also urged the president of the Italian Football Federation, Gabriele Gravina, to step down.
Galeazzo Bignami, parliamentary leader of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, wrote on X that Gravina “simply has to resign,” adding that “Italian football needs reform, and his departure is necessary.”
The four-time world champions suffered a defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening. Italy’s last appearance at a World Cup came in 2014, when the team failed to progress beyond the group stage. They subsequently missed qualification for both the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 edition in Qatar. The Azzurri last won a World Cup play-off match before the release of the first iPhone.
During Wednesday’s parliamentary session, Brothers of Italy MP Salvatore Caiata said Gravina had “stolen the dream from our young people” by allowing a crisis to unfold in Italy’s most beloved sport over the past three years.
However, not all lawmakers supported the calls for resignation. The issue topped the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday morning.
