Gravina: Will Italy win the World Cup if I resign?

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina says he won’t be forced to resign if Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup and discusses a new project that will prioritise ‘technique’ over tactics at a youth level.

Gravina insists he won’t necessarily consider resignation if Italy fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The Azzurri will face Northern Ireland in the semifinal play-off in March next year and will meet Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final if they progress.

Asked by Corriere dello Sport whether he’d resign if the Azzurri fail to qualify for the World Cup once again, he replied: “No rule forces me to step aside.

“I’d certainly do some personal soul-searching, but to those who tell me ‘get a real job’, I reply: If I leave, does football restart, and do we win the World Cup? If I had that certainty, I’d be the first to step down.”

Gravina, however, is confident the Azzurri will reach their target.

“Yes, I base that on concrete, real, objective elements, like the path that brought us here, setting aside the second half against Norway,” he noted.

“Pessimism makes us waste energy; spreading it doesn’t help. The goal is within reach. Let’s roll up our sleeves and commit together, I mean, everyone.”

Italian football issues are also tied to the lack of options in Serie A.

“We have 97 eligible players, 25% of the total, 97 across 20 Serie A clubs. Do you realise what it means?” said Gravina.

The FIGC President said once more that it is not possible to impose a law on a minimum number of Italian players.

“It’s impossible, the federation can only intervene regarding non-EU players, as it already has, respecting the quotes set by the Bossi-Fini law,” he said.

“Limiting the number of players coming from the EU violates European rules that, since the Bosman ruling, guarantee free movement for footballers. Betting on Italians can’t be an obligation, but it must come as a natural inclination. Combined with investment in the youth sectors and infrastructure.

“Our long-term planning has been underway since 2018. In the meantime, we became European champions at the U17 and U19 levels and U20 World Cup runners-up. Now we are launching a project for basic activities from 5 to 13 years old with two World Cup winners, Perrotta and Zambrotta, together in a master with Prandelli. We want to do away with the idea of a method focused solely on tactics,” continued Gravina.

The next step for the federation will be to focus “less tactics and more technique, that’s the goal,” insisted the FIGC President.

“We need to free creativity. Kids get bored, they want to play and the coaches tend to trap them in tactical schemes at a very young age. We need to create educators.

“Anyone who’s focused on results only can’t work in grassroots football. It would be different if the kids were entrusted to training specialists.”

Lastly, Gravina replied to a question on whether Serie A clubs are acting as ‘enemies’ of the Italy national team: “Objectively, they are, even if unintentionally. Every club looks out for its own interest.”