Gennaro Gattuso is no longer Italy coach. The departure was confirmed this Friday, April 3, after an agreement with the Italian Football Federation to terminate the contract, following the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
In a statement, the coach regretted not having fulfilled the main objective of the cycle. “With a heavy heart, because we were unable to achieve the objective we set, I consider that my time as coach of the national team has come to an end”, said the former midfielder, World Cup champion in 2006.
The coach, who took over in June 2025, thanked the institutional and fan support. “I would like to thank president Gabriele Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon, along with the entire federation team, for the trust and support they have always shown me. It was an honor to lead the team”, he said, leaving a special message for the fans: “My biggest thanks go to the fans, to all the Italians who never stopped showing their love and support.”
The federation also recognized the work carried out by Gattuso since replacing Luciano Spalletti, who was fired after a series of negative results. Even so, the elimination against Bosnia-Herzegovina dictated the end of the cycle.
Their absence from the 2026 World Cup marks Italy’s third consecutive failure to reach the final stages of the competition – an unprecedented scenario for a world champion team. The elimination triggered a series of changes in Italian football, including the departure of President Gabriele Gravina, who also resigned.
Also Gianluigi Buffon, head of the national team’s delegation, he left office after the defeat. The former goalkeeper justified the decision with responsibility for the failure: “The main objective was to take Italy back to the World Cup. And we didn’t achieve it”, he lamented.
The moment in Italian football is one of legitimate tragedy. The four-time world champion team will be away from the main national team football stage for at least 16 years. In Italy, the concern at the moment is how to recover prestige on and off the pitch and, above all, re-involve a large portion of the population with their national team: a relationship that has increasingly deteriorated due to the constant failures of the Azurra.
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