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Italy’s soccer federation president, Gabriele Gravina, resigned on Thursday amid political pressure, just two days after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
Gravina’s decision is expected to trigger the departure of Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso as well.
Italy Sports Minister Andrea Abodi called for a shake-up in the country’s soccer leader
“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Abodi said on Wednesday, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC (federation).”
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Italy’s hopes of reaching this year’s tournament in North America ended on Tuesday following a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff.
Gravina assumed control of the federation in 2018, replacing Carlo Tavecchio, who also resigned after Italy failed to reach that year’s World Cup.
The defeat to Bosnia added to Italy’s recent World Cup woes, following eliminations by Sweden and North Macedonia in the qualifying playoffs for the last two tournaments.
Italy’s struggles on the world stage stretch back to 2010 and 2014, when the national team failed to advance from the group stage.
The Azzurri’s last World Cup knockout victory came in 2006, when they won the title by beating France in the final after a penalty shootout.
Gravina did, however, oversee Italy’s European Championship triumph in 2021.
An election has been scheduled for June 22 to select a new FIGC president.
Gravina also announced that he will attend a hearing in Italy’s parliament next Wednesday to discuss “the wellbeing of Italian soccer.”
FIFA fined the Israeli Football Association (IFA) 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) on Thursday for “multiple breaches” of its anti-discrimination obligations.
A report by the disciplinary committee of world football’s governing body found the IFA “failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem” for “persistent and well-documented racist behaviour”.
In October 2024, the Palestine Football Association reported allegations of discrimination by the IFA to FIFA, which initiated an investigation.
FIFA did not opt for the sanction requested by the Palestinian FA, which argued for a suspension of the IFA.
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But the IFA was found to have failed to “abide by FIFA’s statutory objectives”, in a lengthy decision published by its disciplinary committee, which listed several racism incidents in Israeli football.
The disciplinary committee highlighted “deficient and substantively inadequate” sanctions against Israeli club Beitar for racist and discriminatory behaviour.
“Supporters have engaged in persistent and well-documented racist behaviour,” the report said of Beitar fans.
“The club’s use of slogans such as ‘forever pure’, and the repeated chanting of ethnic slurs such as ‘terrorist’ directed at Arab players are not isolated incidents but rather form part of a systemic pattern of conduct that offends the basic rules of decent behaviour and brings the sport into disrepute.
“The committee underlined that said club is only a small example of a general failure by the IFA.”
FIFA also said the IFA was issued with a warning and was ordered to display a “significant and highly visible banner” at its next three FIFA competition home matches, stating “Football Unites the World – No to Discrimination”.
The IFA will have to invest one-third of the fine towards implementing a plan to “ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents”.
After a separate investigation, FIFA announced no action would be taken against the IFA over allegations that Israeli clubs based in the occupied West Bank were taking part in Israel’s leagues.
Wimbledon’s controversial expansion plan received a major boost Thursday after a judge at London’s High Court ruled the proposed development of the current site is not subject to restrictions on how the land cam be used.
Officials at the All England Club, which owns Wimbledon and has been hosting a tournament there since 1877, want to triple the size of the site for the grass-court Grand Slam.
The proposals would see the construction of 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the grounds of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, which would allow it to host All England Club qualifiers on site instead of across south London at Roehampton.
Wimbledon’s plans were approved by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in 2024.
