In brief
Gennaro Gattuso and the Italian football federation have agreed to terminate their contract, marking an end to his brief tenure as head coach. The decision comes after Italy's failure to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, following a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina. An emotional Gattuso expressed regret over the team's failure and emphasized the honor of leading the national side. This marks the first time Italy will miss three World Cups in a row, having previously failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
Manager Gennaro Gattuso and Italy have agreed to mutually terminate his contract after their failure to qualify for a third successive World Cup.
Italy missed out on a spot at this summer's showpiece event when they were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia-Herzegovina in Tuesday's play-off.
Gattuso, who won 73 caps for the Azzurri during his playing career, was appointed as Luciano Spalletti's successor in June and won six of his eight games in charge.
An emotional Gattuso apologised for the defeat during his post-match news conference and admitted it was hard to digest.
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, Gattuso said.
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.
It has been an honour to lead the national team, and to do so with a group of players who have shown commitment and devotion to the jersey.
It follows the resignation of Gabriele Gravina as the head of Italy's football association (FIGC) on Thursday.
Former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was working closely with the national side, also resigned as delegation head via Instagram.
Italy are four-time World Cup champions but last featured at the tournament in 2014.
No previous winner of the tournament has missed three World Cups in a row, which Italy now have after missing out on Russia in 2018 and Qatar 2022.
