Italy plunged into fresh crisis as manager quits following failure to qualify for World Cup

Jack Otway
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:47:16 +0000

Gennaro Gattuso has departed as Italy's national team manager following a mutual agreement with the football federation, bringing an end to a turbulent chapter for the Azzurri.

The former AC Milan midfielder's exit comes in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating penalty shootout loss to Bosnia in the World Cup play-off final.

Italy have now failed to reach three successive World Cups, a catastrophic run for one of football's most storied nations.

Sky Sport Italia reports that Gattuso reached an agreement with the FIGC to step aside, with formal confirmation anticipated imminently.

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The decision marks a dramatic shift in direction for Italian football as they seek fresh leadership before June's friendly matches.

The shockwaves from the qualification failure have triggered a wholesale clearout of Italian football's leadership structure.

FIGC president Gabriele Gravina tendered his resignation following the Bosnia defeat, despite having urged Gattuso to remain in his post just hours earlier during crisis talks at the federation's Rome headquarters.

Gianluigi Buffon, serving as head of Italy's delegation, also relinquished his position in the immediate aftermath.

The 2006 World Cup winner described his departure on Instagram as "an act of responsibility," adding: "Resigning a minute after the end of the match against Bosnia was an urgent act, one that came from deep within me.

"As spontaneous as the tears and the ache in my heart that I know I share with all of you."

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Buffon elaborated that he had been asked to delay his decision to allow time for reflection, but felt compelled to act once Gravina stepped back.

"Despite my sincere belief that I have built so much in terms of team spirit and team spirit with Rino Gattuso and all my collaborators, in the very short time available to the national team, the main objective was to bring Italy back to the World Cup. And we didn't succeed," he wrote.

The legendary goalkeeper concluded: "It's right to leave those who come after me the freedom to choose the person they deem best to fill my role."

Napoli manager Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini have emerged as leading candidates to succeed Gattuso.

Both managers have previously held the Italy post, with Conte departing in 2016 after a two-year stint to take charge at Chelsea.

Mancini assumed control following Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup under Gian Piero Ventura, subsequently guiding the Azzurri to European Championship triumph in 2020 during an extraordinary 37-match unbeaten sequence.

However, he too oversaw a World Cup qualification failure against North Macedonia in 2022 before unexpectedly resigning prior to Euro 2024 qualifying to manage Saudi Arabia.

The former Manchester City boss, now at Qatari side Al-Sadd, is reportedly the preferred choice of Giovanni Malago, a contender for the FIGC presidency who previously led the successful Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics bid.

Who ends up coming in remains to be seen.