Gennaro Gattuso resigned as Italy's national team manager on Friday, three days after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The former AC Milan midfielder's departure follows Italy's devastating 4-1 penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in Tuesday's playoff, which ended their hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament.
The resignation caps a tumultuous week for Italian football. Gattuso's exit came just one day after Gabriele Gravina stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), while former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon also resigned from his role as delegation head.
With a heavy heart, having failed to achieve the goal we set ourselves, I consider my time as coach of the national team to be over. The Azzurri jersey is the most precious asset in football, which is why it's right to facilitate future technical evaluations right from the start.
Gennaro Gattuso, Former Italy Manager — BBC
Gattuso was appointed in June 2025 to replace Luciano Spalletti, tasked with ending Italy's World Cup drought. The four-time champions last appeared at the tournament in 2014 and have now missed three consecutive editions — a first for any previous World Cup winner.
During his brief tenure, Gattuso won six of eight matches but could not overcome the systemic issues plaguing Italian football. The team's failure reflects broader challenges within the domestic game, including limited talent development and insufficient tactical evolution at the highest level.
The BBC frames the story as a mutual agreement between Gattuso and the federation, emphasizing his emotional response and the broader institutional crisis. Coverage focuses on potential replacements and Italy's unprecedented World Cup absence streak.