The fallout is being felt throughout the football in Italy after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup after losing last night to North Macedonia.
The Italian national team and manager Roberto Mancini were left stunned just eight months after securing the European title. Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian football federation (FIGC), commented on the situation during a press conference earlier today and laid part of the blame on clubs within Italy’s top flight.
“Our project will continue on (despite the failure to qualify), even though some will try and sew distrust over the coming days,” explained Gravina.
“I received a ton of praise in the summer so now I’m more than willing to accept criticism, but we’re going to move forward with our heads held high. We have to learn more about the mistakes that were made and what changes are necessary.”
“I hope Mancini continues with us. He has a commitment with us for this project, I hope he can shake off this elimination just like all the Italians and that he remains at the helm to continue our work together.”
“The managers have a tough job in selecting players. However, we can’t just impose our ideas if the project is not shared with clubs, who have their own interests.”
He added, “The clubs put up resistance despite their players arriving with enthusiasm. We only have 30% of Italian footballers playing with the youth teams and many are having problems finding space within their clubs.”
“There’s a gap in this regard between us and some of the others. We must ask ourselves about this issue and continue looking ahead.”
