Overview
- Italy’s loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday in a playoff final went to penalties after a 1-1 draw, a match swung by Alessandro Bastoni’s first‑half red card.
- The fallout triggered a cascade of exits: FIGC president Gabriele Gravina resigned Thursday, Gianluigi Buffon quit as team manager hours later, and coach Gennaro Gattuso departed Friday by mutual consent.
- Giancarlo Abete and Umberto Calcagno are running the federation on an interim basis, with a presidential election scheduled for June 22.
- The country will miss a third straight World Cup, and anger has spilled into the streets as fans protested at federation headquarters while the sports minister urged a full refoundation of the game.
- Italian media are floating Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and Roberto Mancini for the coaching vacancy, though no choice is set before the vote, and debate now centers on fixing youth training, limiting reliance on foreign players, and upgrading aging stadiums after UEFA warnings.