Italian media reaction: ‘Third Apocalypse’, ‘Hard’ to continue with Gattuso | OneFootball

La Gazzetta dello Sport calls Italy’s World Cup play-off elimination as the ‘Third Apocalypse’, and while it’s ‘unfair’ to only blame Gennaro Gattuso, it’s ‘hard to imagine the national team restarting with the coach who led it to such a serious defeat.’

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reacts to Italy’s defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off Final, which prevented the Azzurri from qualifying for the competition for the third consecutive time.

The Azzurri had already missed out on World Cup qualification in 2018 under Giampiero Ventura and 2022 under Roberto Mancini.

“The third Apocalypse is terrible because it has two behind it,” wrote Gazzetta senior writer Luigi Garlando.

“It has lost the sense of shock, of an unexpected catastrophe. It is becoming normal. For the third consecutive time, we will not take part in a World Cup. We’ll talk about it in 2030, 16 years after the last participation. For the first time, there will be young people coming of age who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”

Moise Kean gave Italy the lead last night, but there was a turning point right before half-time when Alessandro Bastoni received a straight red card.

It was the right decision, and even though other calls by the referee were far more debatable, Gazzetta refused to blame the match official.

“Refereeing mistakes? We made more of them ourselves,” Stefano Agresti added.

“The truth is that Bosnia were stronger, and we are tired of thinking about how to improve: technique, speeches. The third Apocalypse is the worst.

“In Zenica, they gave us some reasons to protest. Not Bastoni’s sending-off, which was clear, but rather the failure to show a red card to Muharemovic. But come on, we are Italy. Can we really cling to such small details when facing the 71st-ranked national team in the World? We threw the match away ourselves. Bastoni’s mistake affected it, perhaps even decided it, but even with ten men, we had chances to score.”

ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Head coach of Italy Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

The victory in the 2020 Euros now looks like an exception to the norm as the Azzurri have not played in the World Cup since 2014 and have not played a knockout match in the competition since 2006, when they last lifted the trophy.

“Recent history tells us something clear: the exception, sadly, is not missing the World Cup, but the victory five years ago at Wembley,” Agresti continued.

“Normality is, sadly, what we saw at the small stadium in Zenica. Gattuso failed in the most important match. It would be unfair to blame Rino only. Before him, Ventura, Mancini and Spalletti also failed, so it means the problem is not on the bench. But it is still hard to imagine the national team restarting with the coach who led it to such a serious defeat.”

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 06: Gianluigi Buffon of Italy attends before the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A2 match between France and Italy at Parc des Princes stadium on September 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

For now, no decision has been taken regarding Gattuso, but even FIGC President Gabriele Gravina and Delegation Chief Gianluigi Buffon have refused to resign.

“We have said it many times, in a mix of disappointment, anger and indignation. We must rebuild the system. We can no longer postpone it. The situation is an absolute emergency, and in such cases, there is just one solution,” Gazzetta concluded.

“To act with extraordinary measures. We need to work on the youth sectors, on regulations to protect Italian players. It will take time, it will require, above all, the right people and the right ideas. But we cannot wait any longer. Otherwise, generations of young people who have never seen Italy at a World Cup will continue to grow.”