Devastated Italians reckon with 'third apocalypse' of World Cup failure
Azzurri fans and management alike are pondering what went wrong after Italy fail to qualify for third World Cup in a row.
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Notable Quotes
"Everything has a limit. We're not going to the World Cup. We supported them, we hoped, we even railed against a couple of questionable refereeing decisions... but deep down we feared it. In fact, we knew it."
— Ignazio La Russa , Politician
"Clubs are corrupt and at the mercy of criminal organisations. True laundering vaults. No investment in young players, no care for second-generation talent. It's easier to buy foreign players than to develop new athletes."
— Roberto Saviano , Celebrity
"We don't deserve this, it's not fair. I'm sorry I couldn't make it happen."
— Rino Gattuso , Athlete
"The risk is that this third consecutive failure to qualify will deepen young people's disengagement from the Azzurri."
— Elisabetta Esposito , Other
"I don’t like to sit on the sofa while I could be doing other things."
— Roberto Baggio , Athlete
"We still don't believe it - that we're out and that it happened in this manner."
— Leonardo Spinazzola , Athlete
"I want to personally apologize since we didn't make it."
— Gennaro Gattuso , Athlete
"We realise we're in a huge crisis."
— Gabriele Gravina , Executive
"I've never entered or finished a game calmer."
— Sergej Barbarez , Athlete
Key People
Aleksandar Trajkovski is a Macedonian professional football player noted for scoring a decisive goal against Italy.
Alessandro Bastoni is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender.
Arrigo Sacchi is a renowned football manager who led Italy to the 1994 World Cup final.
Sport journalist of La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Gabriele Gravina is the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Gennaro Gattuso is the former Italy manager who left his position following team failures.
Gian Piero Ventura is an Italian football manager known for coaching the national team.
President of the Senate and a senior figure in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party.
Leonardo Spinazzola is a player for Italy's national soccer team.
Moise Kean is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Former Italian footballer and coach of the national team.
Roberto Baggio is a retired Italian footballer famous for his playmaking and goal-scoring abilities.
Author of 'Gomorrah' and anti-mafia writer.
Sandro Tonali is a professional football midfielder for Newcastle United and the Italy national team.
Sergej Barbarez is a former professional footballer and coach for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tags
All Coverage
Azzurri fans and management alike are pondering what went wrong after Italy fail to qualify for third World Cup in a row.
Italy's third consecutive World Cup qualification failure has become almost expected, with systemic issues in Italian football contributing to the team's struggles.
Italy's third consecutive World Cup qualification failure highlights the need for a comprehensive overhaul in the country's football development and management.
Italy's penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina marks their third consecutive World Cup qualification failure, raising questions about the team's future prospects.
Italy's third consecutive World Cup qualification failure has sparked political debate, with lawmakers calling for changes in the football federation's leadership and structure.
Italy's third consecutive World Cup qualification failure continues a troubling trend for the four-time champions, raising questions about the team's future direction.
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