Italy’s Sport Minister Andrea Abodi said on Wednesday the head of the country’s football federation should step down after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
The Azzurri fell at the play-offs again, this time after a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Hercegovina on Tuesday, and will miss this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The head of the federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, said he would not resign but a board meeting next week would decide whether he will keep his position.
“It’s clear that Italian football needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and that starts with changes at the top of the FIGC,” Abodi said in a statement.