President Gravina reveals reason behind Italian football crisis after World Cup heartbreak

Outgoing Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina has published a detailed report on the state of Italian football, along with several proposals on how to address the crisis.

Gravina stepped down following Italy’s gut-wrenching failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Gli Azzurri were eliminated in the World Cup play-off final following a penalty shoot-out defeat against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Both sides played out a 1-1 draw after extra time, with Bosnia going on to win 4-1 on penalties.

Italy have now failed to qualify for the World Cup since crashing out in the group stage of the 2014 edition.

Gravina was president when Italy won the 2020 European Championship, but they also failed to qualify for the World Cup twice during his tenure.

Despite stepping down as FIGC president, the 72-year-old will remain in a temporary role until a new president is elected on June 22.

Gravina has now published a report he was scheduled to present at the Italian parliament last week. But his hearing was cancelled following his resignation. 

He published the report ‘with the hope that it may stimulate reflection and deeper analysis’ of how Italian football has deteriorated over the past few years.

He outlined some well-documented issues affecting Italian football, including the number of players eligible for selection to the national team, the average age of Serie A players and the high percentage of foreign players in Italy’s top flight.

One of the most alarming concerns is the decline in opportunities for young Italian players. 

Youth development appears to have taken a back seat in Serie A. Italy ranks 49th out of 50 leagues for the playing time given to eligible under-21 players (1.9 percent).

Gravina also highlighted a few proposals for resolving some of the issues listed in his report.

Among his proposed solutions are allocating a share of gambling revenues to football, improving tax policies to attract talent, and lifting restrictions on sponsorship deals with betting companies. 

Gravina also insisted on lifting the ban on advertising and sponsorships by betting operators and on taking supportive measures to build new stadiums or renovate existing ones.