Italy’s crisis deepens: Buffon joins wave of resignations | OneFootball

The Azzurra have once again been left out of a World Cup, and an institutional crisis has exploded: Gravina and Buffon resigned after the loss to Bosnia.

The earthquake in Italian football is already having major consequences. After Italy’s elimination in the World Cup playoff, Gabriele Gravina resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation. He was followed out by Gianluigi Buffon, who had been serving as head of delegation for the national team.

The decision comes after the heavy defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which left the Azzurra out of the World Cup for the third straight time. The blow was even harder considering that the next tournament will feature 48 teams, making qualification more accessible. However, the team failed again at the crucial moment, unleashing deep frustration across the country.

Gravina announced his resignation at a meeting held at the federation’s headquarters in Rome, where he confirmed that he was stepping aside after the pressure generated by this latest sporting failure. His tenure, which began in 2018, was marked by this negative cycle for the national team, which has been unable to recover from its absences at Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Minutes later, Buffon’s departure was also confirmed. The 2006 World Cup winner had taken on his executive role in August 2023. The exit of the legendary former goalkeeper further deepens the institutional crisis gripping Italian football.

In this context, the departure of head coach Gennaro Gattuso is also expected, which would completely dismantle the national team’s current structure. Now, all eyes are on June 22, the date on which elections will be held to choose the federation’s new president and begin an urgent restructuring

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.