Gennaro Gattuso has left his role as head coach of the Italy national team, following the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and head of delegation Gianluigi Buffon, after the Azzurri's penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-offs.
Gattuso reached an agreement with the Italian Football Federation to end his contract prematurely. Appointed in June as successor to Luciano Spalletti, he won six of his eight matches in charge but could not secure World Cup qualification. Speaking after the play-off loss, Gattuso said: “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.” He added, “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.” This completes a turbulent period of leadership changes in Italian football following Italy's third straight World Cup absence.
