Edoardo Bove has revealed that Jose Mourinho went out of his way to get in contact with his parents following his scary cardiac arrest back in 2024, and has again spoken of the reality of going from ‘feeling like a superhero’ to being told he wouldn’t play football again. 

Bove has made a miraculous return to full health after suffering a scary cardiac arrest on the pitch during the first half of a Serie A match between Inter and Fiorentina on December 1, 2024.

The former Roma youngster, who was on loan with Fiorentina at the time, collapsed on the pitch, was rushed to hospital, admitted to intensive care and later had a removable internal defibrillator device fitted. 

The defibrillator prevents Bove from playing professionally in Italy, but it has not stopped him from returning to professional action in the UK, where the rules surrounding heart conditions and defibrillator devices are more loose. For similar reasons, Christian Eriksen was forced to leave Inter after suffering a cardiac arrest at EURO 2020, but was allowed to sign for Brentford and later Manchester United in the Premier League. 

Bove’s journey has taken him to Watford, where he has since gone on to make eight league appearances. 

Bove on cardiac arrest, Watford return and special Mourinho relationship

Bove has spoken about his turbulent last 18 months in an interview with MailOnline. 

“The last thing I remember is when I went down. I woke up in hospital without knowing what happened. I thought I’d been in a car accident,” Bove recalled. 

“Before it happened, I felt like a superhero. They told me I wouldn’t play football again. Sometimes I was thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’. There were very difficult days where everything was going so bad.

“It was hard but it became part of the journey. I’m happy with how it went and I learned more in this year than from anything I’d experienced before.”

During his interview with MailOnline, Bove lifted up his shirt to show what it looks like after having a defibrillator implanted.

“The first month, you struggle sleeping on the side. It changes your physique. When you see yourself changed in the mirror it can be painful – but for me it wasn’t. I’ve never been disappointed.

“I’m so lucky it happened at a perfect age. I was 22. I was mature enough to understand the real meaning, but I also had the energy and power of a young guy.”

Bove also revealed that his former Roma coach, Mourinho, went to special lengths to get in contact during his time in the hospital, at a time when he couldn’t respond to messages or calls from his own phone. 

“He cares about every player he has trained, some of them more than others!

“He wrote to me first but I couldn’t answer anyone, so he got the number of my parents. I have an unbelievable relationship with him. Mourinho is a very important person for me and my family.

“Sometimes when I think about the past, it makes me emotional. But at the same time it makes me proud. It was a long period but I turned a tough moment into an opportunity. 

“I have a different perspective. If you are not open-minded, you lose something about life. I’m happy.”

Juventus head coach and former Italy CT Luciano Spalletti has expressed his sympathies with Gennaro Gattuso, who left his role in charge of the national team after Thursday’s World Cup play-off final defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina: ‘I put myself in his shoes, my first thoughts went to him’. 

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Spalletti on Italy, Gattuso and why introducing a minimum quota for Italian players in Serie A wouldn’t work

Spalletti gave his honest assessment of the Italy national team set-up during his post-match interview following Juventus’s 2-0 Serie A win over Genoa on Easter Monday. 

Spalletti himself left the role of Italy national team head coach less than a year ago following a miserable EURO 2024 campaign and a costly defeat against Norway in World Cup qualifying, and now, the Azzurri will have to find their third head coach in a year following Gattuso’s recent departure. 

“When the game against Bosnia ended, I swear, I put myself in Gattuso’s shoes, my first thoughts went to him. He’s a decent person, he has passion, he has all the qualities to become one of the best in the world,” Spalletti told the press on Easter Monday. 

“I said to myself: ‘If I’d still been there and it happened to me in that environment, in that stadium … I really wouldn’t have got out of it. 

“I suffered a lot, in a big way. It created a non-reaction. I couldn’t talk about football, I almost hid from it. 

“That said, if Kean had scored, we’d be talking about how great Italy is. We need a bit more balance with these swings of opinions and realise that it’s easy before you get to the national team, when you’re there, you can suffer, it happens, it’s the weight of the situation. We had done well, we won all of our matches except against Norway, but it’s a very heavy situation.” 

Spalletti agrees with large sections of the Italy supporters that there are not enough chances handed to young Italian talents in Serie A. 

“Out of the 33 players on the pitch in Udinese-Como, only two were Italian,” Spalletti pointed out. “That’s a fundamental issue because we have to try and protect our talents. I don’t want to advise, but we can’t do it on our own.” 

Some supporters have called for a minimum number of Italian players to be fielded in each Serie A match, but this is a suggestion that Spalletti admits might be difficult to implement. 

“I’ll give you an example. What if you had an U19 player play in every Serie A team? We’d be forced to have four available just to play one, and then what? I go and watch those players a few years earlier because we need them, but then who actually makes it? You might get none from Juve, but you might get one come through at Cremonese. I need someone who doesn’t let the level drop.

“Our national team is strong, they showed it to you under Gattuso and as far as I’m concerned, he made the right choices. These incidents have decided it, it’s not that we are the worst in the world now. It’s the interpretation of the games that makes the difference. Football is a game of incidents.”

Luciano Spalletti criticised Juventus’s second-half performance despite picking up a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Monday evening, and says that after six or seven months at the helm in Turin, ‘I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with’.

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Juventus claimed a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Easter Monday thanks to first-half goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie, but goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, brought on at half-time, bailed his teammates out with a penalty save, and Spalletti believes that had the spot-kick gone in, it would have become a ‘very difficult’ evening for the Bianconeri. 

You can see how the action from all of Monday’s Serie A matches unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Spalletti reacts to Juventus 2-0 Genoa: ‘I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with’ 

Despite moving back within a point of Como and the Serie A top four on Easter Monday, Spalletti was still frustrated by some of the things he saw from his players against Genoa, especially in the second half. 

There were complaints that some of the Juventus squad looked tired, which Spalletti insisted can’t be the case as his players received extra time off in the build-up to Monday’s game. 

“It wasn’t tiredness, we didn’t train yesterday or the day before,” Spalletti told Sky after full-time.

“I left them alone because they needed to recover. They had two days off, a training session and a half and then they took a break, so that’s not the case.” 

Spalletti admitted that despite being in charge of Juventus since the end of October, he still doesn’t always know what he’s going to see from his players on the pitch. 

“Sometimes we have to accept that we aren’t the best versions of ourselves. After six or seven months here, I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with. It’s not possible to have a first half like that and then a second half like this. And if they go ahead and score the penalty, it becomes a very difficult evening.” 

There are also concerns for Dusan Vlahovic, who was meant to come on but felt something go in his calf while warming up, and for goalkeeper Perin, who was forced off at half-time, also with a calf issue. 

“There is concern because they both got hurt, they both felt a muscle go,” Spaleltti confirmed. “We need them to have tests to understand how long it will take to get them back on the pitch.” 

Juventus moved back within a point of Como and the Serie A top four with their 2-0 victory against Genoa on Easter Monday, but there were some questions as to why Dusan Vlahovic did not feature off the bench. 

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Goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie sent Juventus back within a point of fourth place in Serie A after Como were held to a 0-0 draw by Udinese earlier on Monday afternoon. They and Roma in sixth and Atalanta in seventh have seven matches of the 2025-26 season left to fight it out for the final Champions League spot in the Serie A top four. 

You can see how the action from all of Monday’s Serie A matches unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Why was there no Vlahovic in Juventus 2-0 Genoa?

Vlahovic has recently returned from a five-month injury lay-off following a serious injury to his adductor. He made his long-awaited return with an 11-minute cameo appearance in the 1-1 draw against Sassuolo prior to the international break and was named in the matchday squad to face Genoa on Easter Monday. 

However, Vlahovic felt something in his calf while warming up and the coaching staff decided against risking him on precautionary grounds. 

A calf injury was also the reason why Juventus were forced into a change of goalkeepers at half-time, with the previously out-of-favour Michele Di Gregorio coming on to replace Mattia Perin at the interval. Di Gregorio went on to help his team with an important double-save from the penalty spot along with a series of big second-half stops.

Juventus teammates were full of praise for goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, who came on at half-time and made a second-half penalty save to help the Old Lady towards a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Sunday afternoon. 

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Juventus were forced into a rare in-game change of goalkeepers at half-time of their 2-0 victory over Genoa on Easter Monday after an injury to Mattia Perin, which gave a first run-out in five games for the out-of-favour Di Gregorio.

Juventus moved back within one point of the Serie A top four thanks to goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie in an eventual 2-0 win over Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa at the Allianz Stadium. 

You can see how the action from all of Monday’s Serie A matches unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Juventus stars review 2-0 Genoa win: ‘We knew Di Gregorio’s time would come’ 

Di Gregorio had been dropped for Perin for the last four Serie A matches, but was brought on at half-time after the latter felt a problem with his calf. Di Gregorio then went on to make a huge double save from the penalty spot to keep Juve’s two-goal lead in tact. 

“He’s gone through good and bad times with us, but we know his qualities,” said goalscorer Bremer after full-time. “We knew his time would come, and it has come.” 

Andrea Cambiaso added: “Michele is an extraordinary guy. He’s always switched on in training and I’m very happy for him because today he won us a very important game. 

“He was great because of the attitude he had, he’s always been alert and today he showed it.” 

Reports in the UK and Italy continue to link Juventus with a potential summer transfer for Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte as the Bianconeri look to strengthen their options in the middle of the park. 

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Could Juventus move for Manchester United’s Ugarte?

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport and various others, Juventus are among the sides interested in a summer transfer for Uruguay international Ugarte, who is currently valued in the region of €40m.

The 24-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from Paris Saint-Germain in a €50m deal in the summer of 2024. The Manchester Evening News suggests that it is time for United to ‘cut their losses’ with Ugarte, whose first-team opportunities have decreased during his second season at Old Trafford. 

Juventus could potentially be among the clubs that could offer Ugarte an escape route, but the interest from the Old Lady depends heavily on their qualification for next season’s Champions League. 

The Bianconeri will have an opportunity to move back within one point of the Serie A top four when they take on Genoa in Serie A on Easter Monday. Como, who currently occupy fourth place and had a three-point advantage over the Bianconeri at the start of the weekend, were held to a 0-0 draw against Udinese on Monday. 

Galatasaray, Newcastle United and Aston Villa have also been mentioned as potential destinations for Ugarte this summer.

Luciano Spalletti has named his strongest available squad for Juventus’s upcoming Serie A clash against Genoa on Easter Monday afternoon. 

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The fifth-placed Bianconeri are hoping to keep up with the pace set by Como, currently occupying Serie A’s fourth Champions League spot heading into the final stretch of 2025-26 fixtures. 

Juventus have a clean bill of health heading into Monday’s clash against Genoa. There are no major absentees from the Bianconeri squad, but Dusan Vlahovic remains unlikely to start having recently returned from his long-term injury lay-off. The same is also true for Arkadiusz Milik. 

According to pre-match reports, either Jonathan David or Jeremie Boga could start up front for the Old Lady on Easter Monday, but otherwise, it is expected to be the same Juventus starting XI that drew 1-1 with Sassuolo prior to the international break. 

That means that Kenan Yildiz, Weston McKennie and Francisco Conceicao are likely to start in the supporting attacking roles, Khephren Thuram and Manuel Locatelli in midfield, a back four of Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly and Andrea Cambiaso, and Mattia Perin still in goal instead of Michele Di Gregorio. 

Kick-off is due at 17.00 BST.

Confirmed Juventus squad for Genoa

Goalkeepers: Perin, Di Gregorio, Pinsoglio

Defenders: Holm, Bremer, Gatti, Kelly, Kalulu, Cambiaso, Cabal.

Midfielders: Locatelli, Koopmeiners, Kostic, Thuram, Miretti, McKennie. 

Forwards: Conceicao, Vlahovic, Yildiz, Zhegrova, Boga, Milik, Openda, David.

I convocati da mister Spalletti per la gara all’Allianz Stadium di questa sera #JuveGenoa

Powered by @WhiteBit pic.twitter.com/LYCMFNtToY

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) April 6, 2026

A common complaint from supporters of the Italy national team is that there are not enough opportunities handed to homegrown players in Serie A, and that argument is evidenced by the fact that there was only one Italian in the 22 players that started Easter Monday’s match between Udinese and Como.

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The Easter Monday schedule began with Udinese’s visit from Cesc Fabregas’s Como, who are looking to cement their place in the Serie A top four heading into the final stretch of the 2025-26 season. 

You can follow the action from all of Monday’s Serie A fixtures on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Just one Italy player named in Udinese vs. Como line-ups 

There have been widespread complaints from many supporters of Serie A clubs that there are not enough opportunities handed to Italian players in the domestic top-flight. This was certainly the case when Nicolo Zaniolo was the only Italian in the 22 players that started in Monday’s Serie A match between Udinese and Como. 

Cesc Fabregas and Como are, in fact, the worst offenders when it comes to the lack of opportunities for Italy hopefuls at club level. 

Only one Italian player has represented Como in Serie A so far this season: 32-year-old centre-back Edoardo Goldaniga, who has made two substitute appearances for a total of 14 minutes of league action this campaign. He also had a 90-minute run-out in the second round of the Coppa Italia.

“If Italy wants to fix the problems with its national team, it’ll have to go through a change in the league regulations forcing a minimum number of Italians on the pitch,” one supporter commented on X.

Another supporter commented: “I don’t agree with setting a minimum number of Italians on the pitch, but this is embarrassing.”

One fan wrote: “But it would be wrong to force Italians to play without any merit whatsoever. The focus should be on the youth teams, on why there aren’t any Italians capable of being starters in a mediocre league like Serie A.”

“We keep failing to understand that the problem isn’t foreign players, but a rotten system that favours agents and those willing to pay, with 80-year-olds sitting in the positions of power. We’ll make it to the World Cup in 2042,” another added.

Beppe Bergomi was full of praise for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, who netted a brace in Sunday night’s 5-2 thrashing of Roma in Serie A, but also highlighted the performance of Marcus Thuram, whom he felt was one of Inter’s more underrated stars on the night. 

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Inter moved nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table thanks to a 5-2 victory over the Giallorossi in San Siro on Easter Sunday, with Nerazzurri goals coming from Lautaro (x2), Hakan Calhanoglu, Thuram and Nicolo Barella. 

This result ended a run of four matches without a victory across all competitions prior to the recent international break, and puts the pressure on second and third-placed Milan and Napoli ahead of their matches on Easter Monday. 

Bergomi praise for Inter stars in 5-2 Roma victory

There were vintage displays from some of Inter’s biggest stars on the night, including captain Lautaro, who netted a brace and is now on 16 Serie A goals for the 2025-26 season, five more than any other player in the division.

“It shows the  importance of having a player with this quality and personality, with how he moves and ‘unmarks’ himself,” said Bergomi while analysing Lautaro’s performance on Sky Sport Italia. 

“He works hard in both phases, he unlocked the match with his first goal and decided it with his second.”

Bergomi believes that Lautaro’s strike partner, Thuram, deserves just as much praise for his performance on the night, though: “I’d like to highlight Thuram’s performance, a player Inter had been missing. 

“How many times did he take a man away and open up the space? He scores, but importantly gets two assists. There’s also Lautaro’s finishing and the quality of Calhanoglu. 

“Roma did well in the first half, the goal for 2-1 changed the game emotionally and in the second half, Inter approached it well while the opponents found themselves in difficulty.” 

With seven league matches of the 2025-26 season left to play, is there any real chance of either Milan or Napoli catching up?

“I don’t know if the league is closed off or if it has reopened,” Bergomi admitted. 

“Inter have to find five more victories and they know their schedule. The team can’t be too light-hearted, they have to be aware of the responsibility, live through the difficulties. Let’s see if they do it. It’s Como on Sunday.”

Large sections of Roma supporters have been left frustrated and have called for a ‘revolution’ in the summer after falling to a 5-2 defeat away against Inter in Serie A on Easter Monday, which has put a massive dent in Gian Piero Gasperini’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League. 

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The Giallorossi were swept away by the table-topping Nerazzurri in San Siro on their return to action after the international break. Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Pellegrini were on the scoresheet, but this was not enough to counter strikes from Lautaro Martinez (x2), Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella. 

Disappointed Roma fans react to 5-2 Inter hammering: ‘Criminal’

The result leaves Roma in sixth place in the Serie A table with seven league matches of the 2025-26 season left to play. Juventus, due to play Genoa on Monday, could now move three points of the Giallorossi in fifth place, and Como, who face Udinese on Monday, could move six points clear of Roma in fourth. 

Sunday’s result has not sat well with Roma supporters, some of whom have laid the blame at Gasperini’s door. The head coach has now lost 11 Serie A matches during his first season in charge of the Giallorossi on top of a disappointing round of 16 exit from the Europa League at the hands of Serie A opponents, Bologna.

“Just saying, Mourinho and De Rossi were sacked for much less, so I believe and hope that the time has come to sack this coach,” one supporter wrote on social media.

Another agreed: “Remember when the Friedkins thought firing one of the greatest managers of all time will improve Roma?”.

In response, another fan wrote: “With a better squad and performing worse than JM’s Roma is criminal. It serves the JM haters right.” 

Some felt that Gasperini didn’t get his match tactics right on the night: “The team is poor, we don’t have many strong players, so a smart coach goes to Inter and tries to play on the break, tries to defend and play on the counter attack. You don’t go there to play on equal terms, otherwise they wipe the floor with you. Ranieri, I miss you.” 

Others believe that the current crop of Roma players aren’t up to scratch: “I hope this is the definitive end for Cristante, Mancini, Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Celik and Dybala, who’s always injured. By now, everyone’s figured them out.” 

“Many of the guys who take to the field in this shirt shouldn’t see another euro. You have to prove you deserve to play in this shirt. You have to sweat for it. Incompetent,” another wrote.

There has also been widespread criticism of the club’s ownership and senior management following Sunday’s defeat against Inter. 

“The owners aren’t interested in winning. They’re interested in the books being back in order and the new stadium being built in order to sell. Until then, the team will be like this, nothing more,” one supporter commented on X.

Another added: “You can’t expect anything less than a terrible team with an owner who doesn’t understand a thing about football.” 

Napoli are expected to deploy their midfield ‘fab four’ when they host Massimiliano Allegri and Milan in a huge clash in the late push for the Serie A title on Easter Monday. 

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It is a matter of second vs. third in the Serie A table with just one point separating Antonio Conte’s side from the Rossoneri ahead of kick-off. 

Hosts Napoli currently occupy third place on 62 points and will be hoping to move within seven points of league leaders Inter, who beat Roma 5-2 on Sunday evening. The Partenopei went into the international break with a four-game win streak under their belts. 

The second-placed Rossoneri have won three of their last four before facing Napoli, but have recorded defeats against Lazio and at home against Parma across their last five.

For the first time this calendar year, all four of Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne are expected to start alongside each other in midfield. 

Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, is facing disciplinary action from the club after failing to report for training last week and is expected to be frozen out of the team as a result. 

As for Milan, pre-match reports indicate that there could be a brand-new strike partnership of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku on Monday evening, which would mean both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic starting on the bench. 

Adrien Rabiot is expected to be available to start despite dropping out of the France national team squad on precautionary grounds during the break. 

Kick-off this evening is due at 19.45 BST.

Napoli vs. Milan: Probable line-ups 

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Olivera; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund.

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Fullkruug, Nkunku.

Where to watch Napoli vs. Milan 

Today’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 4 and through DAZN. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+.

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game coverage and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Dusan Vlahovic is expected to feature but is unlikely to start as Juventus look to close in on the Serie A top four when they host Genoa in the league on Easter Monday. 

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The Bianconeri remain three points shy of Como in fourth place with eight matches of the season left to go. Luciano Spalletti’s side will be slightly relieved to see sixth-placed Roma beaten 5-2 away against Inter on Sunday evening, which means that there is no risk of Juve being overtaken regardless of today’s result

Visitors Genoa find themselves in 14th place ahead of kick-off. An against-the-odds victory away against Juventus on Sunday will take them up to 12th place in the Serie A standings. A draw or a loss will see them stay in 14th for another week. 

Juventus have a relatively clean bill of health heading into Sunday’s clash at the Allianz Stadium. 

Vlahovic is available, but remains unlikely to start as he works his way back to full fitness after recently returning from his long-term injury lay-off. Spalletti confirmed as much during his pre-match press conference, but added that “he could give us a hand.” 

Mattia Perin remains the favourite to start in goal instead of Michele Di Gregorio, and other than a slight doubt as to whether Jonathan David or Jeremie Boga will start up front, it is likely to be the same Juventus XI that started against Sassuolo before the break.

Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy is unavailable with a hamstring injury and could be replaced by either Stefano Sabelli or Aaron Martin according to Sky Sport Italia.

There are also some doubts as to who Daniele De Rossi will start in attack, with all of Vitinha, Junior Messias, Tommaso Baldanzi and Caleb Ekuban vying for a spot in the starting XI. 

Kick-off is due at 17.00 BST. 

Juventus vs. Genoa: Probable line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David. 

Genoa (3-4-2-1): Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertson, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Sabelli; Messias, Vitinha; Colombo.

Where to watch Juventus vs. Genoa

Today’s game will be available to watch live and exclusively on DAZN in the UK. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+. 

Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game commentary and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Former Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger has opened up on his experiences working with the likes of Arsene Wenger, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp, Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero, and has explained why his first move to a Serie A club was a ‘mistake’. 

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The former Austria international, who represented Fiorentina. Torino, Bologna, Siena, Udinese and Juventus during his time in Italy, recalled all the highs and lows from his playing career in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Manninger on Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool experiences

At the beginning of his career, Manninger was picked up by Arsene Wenger, who had taken over as head coach of Arsenal the year prior. 

“It still excites me just thinking about it,” said Manninger. “I was 20 years old, I was a kid. Wenger wanted to bring an international dimension to the club and focus on youngsters, I was one of them.

“Despite my age, I felt calm in goal. I had a monster like Tony Adams in front of me. He taught me a lot. I only have one regret: Leaving too soon. But you know, I wanted to play.” 

The next chapter of Manninger’s career took him to Serie A, where he joined Fiorentina on loan. 

“It was the wrong decision,” Manninger said. “I found it an absurd situation. It was 2001 and the club was on the verge of bankruptcy. We weren’t paid for several months. The coach was Mancini and every now and then he’d tell us ‘who knows if we’re training tomorrow’. He was joining, but we all knew it could all fail at any moment.” 

Manninger had several experiences in Serie A over the course of his career. He went on to join Torino and later Bologna, before going on to become a no.1 during a loan spell at Siena. 

“What a city, how peaceful. Siena is my home. I had a great time there and they treated me like a king,” Manninger recalled. “I come back and they shower me with affection. I also have to thank Enrico Chiesa. We’d played together at Fiorentina and he helped me a lot at the beginning. He told me ‘come to dinner with me today’. I could only accept, otherwise he’d get angry. How strong was Enrico, though? My goodness.” 

Among the biggest stars that Manninger played with was Juventus’s Alessandro Del Piero. 

“When I was no.2 to Gigi Buffon, he would keep me back for hours at the end of training. So many challenges, and so many laughs. He amazed me particularly with penalties. He was a sniper. 

“Ale is also a great golfer. Every now and then we talk about it. Sooner or later we’ll challenge each other, as we did on penalties and free-kicks at Juventus.” 

Speaking of Buffon, Manninger added: “He’s fantastic, really. He never made me question his greatness. I was amazed at the calmness he had. I’d always ask him ‘how do you do it, Gigi?’. I’m honoured to have played with him and for Juventus in general, which for me, felt like the closing of a full circle back then.” 

When asked to explain what he meant by full circle, Manninger said: “They had almost signed me 10 years earlier. I did a couple of training sessions with the group, then van der Sar arrived and I went to Arsenal. Going back was always my goal.” 

Aside from the aforementioned Wenger, Manninger also had the privilege of playing under some of the game’s modern-day greats in Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte. 

Manninger’s final season at Juventus was Conte’s first as head coach. “He struck me right from the pre-season training camp. He took me to one side and told me that he appreciated the way I worked and that he had wanted to sign me when he was at Siena. 

“At the beginning, he was the only one who believed in winning the Scudetto. We came from two seventh-place finishes and a series of poor choices from the club. He ‘rebuilt the church in the middle of town’ as you Italians like to say.” 

Manninger went on to end his career at Liverpool as a third-choice under Klopp. 

“It all started with a phone call. Jurgen knew everything about me. I’d beaten his Dortmund side with Augsburg two years earlier. ‘I want that goalkeeper there. That day you saved everything against us. You have to do it for me, too’.” 

“I never actually played, I was 40, but leaving football and saying goodbye to the fans in front of the Kop was an amazing feeling.” 

Reports over the weekend claimed that the Italy national team players attempted to negotiate a bonus before their World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the latest updates indicate that the Azzurri squad members would have received individual ‘gifts’ had they managed to qualify. 

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Report: Italy squad would have received World Cup qualification bonus ‘gifts’

According to recent reports from La Repubblica, Italian players sought a collective bonus of €300,000, which equates to just over €10,000 per player, in the event of qualification for the 2026 World Cup. 

The dreams of qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America came crashing down after a penalty shoot-out defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final on Tuesday evening.

The Repubblica report claimed that Gattuso attempted to dissuade his players from negotiating over a potential bonus fee before the World Cup play-off final was played. 

However, according to Sunday’s updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the FIGC would have been prepared to offer Italy national team players bonus ‘gifts’ had they qualified for the World Cup. 

The Pink Paper points out that the Italy squad do not receive fees for representing the national team squad, but regardless, a financial bonus of around €10,000 would not have made much difference economically speaking to a group of highly-paid top level footballers. 

So, instead of a cash bonus, the FIGC were reportedly preparing a more sentimental bonus ‘gift’ for the players. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested that the players might have been given individual watches instead, or something along those lines. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport adds that there were discussions among the players after the Northern Ireland match on the topic of a potential bonus, but that there were no formal requests from players for a specific cash prize. 

Reports in Italy indicate that Gennaro Gattuso decided against pursuing severance pay after his departure from the Italy national team set-up earlier this week in order to make sure that his coaching staff were adequately compensated. 

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Why Gattuso decided to leave Italy national team without severance pay

Gattuso left his position as head coach of the Italy national team by mutual agreement on Friday, following Italy’s penalty shoot-out defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday, which cost the Azzurri a place at the World Cup for the third tournament in a row. 

Gattuso spent less than a year in charge of the Italy national team, having replaced Luciano Spalletti in June 2025.

The announcement of Gattuso’s departure arrived on Friday, three days after the play-off final against Bosnia, and slightly later than the announcements of Gabriele Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon’s departures from the FIGC and national team set-ups. 

According to reports from Corriere della Sera, the main reason behind the delay in announcing Gattuso’s departure was so that severance pay for his coaching staff could be settled. 

Sunday’s report adds that Gattuso gave up the money that he would have been owed on the remainder of his Italy national team contract in order to make sure that his staff were adequately compensated as swiftly as possible.

This is not the first time that Gattuso has given up money that he has been owed himself in order to either look out for his staff or to facilitate a smooth exit. 

As per SportMediaset, Gattuso also left his beloved Milan without severance pay in 2019. He had previously agreed a contract extension until 2021, but gave up the remaining salary that he would have been owed, so that his coaching staff could be paid in full for the remaining two years of their contracts. 

Sunday’s report suggests that Gattuso also reached contract termination agreements, thus giving up on severance pay, at the end of his spells with OFI Crete, Pisa and Hajduk Split as well. 

Some questions were raised over the decision to let 20-year-old Pio Esposito step up and take the first penalty in Italy’s shoot-out against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of their World Cup play-off final, but reports on Sunday indicate that the coaches had not originally intended for the Inter youngster to go first. 

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Why did Esposito take Italy’s first penalty in World Cup play-off final?

Italy missed out on qualification for the World Cup for the third tournament in a row after a defeat on penalties against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica on Tuesday night, after playing the entirety of the second half and extra-time with 10 men. 

Esposito missed the first penalty in the shoot-out, Bryan Cristante struck the crossbar with Italy’s third, and as Bosnia had successfully converted all of their first four, that was enough to send the Azzurri packing for the third tournament cycle in a row. 

Esposito was Italy’s only natural centre-forward on the pitch by the time that penalties came around. Mateo Retegui had started, but was sacrificed to make way for centre-back Federico Gatti after centre-back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off just before half time. Moise Kean was also brought off in the second half in a like-for-like swap with Esposito.

Despite being the only centre-forward on the pitch, the original plan was for Esposito to go third in the penalty shoot-out according to reports from SportMediaset and Corriere della Sera. 

However, according to the latest reports, it was Esposito himself who volunteered to take the first pressure penalty, and the Italy coaching staff decided against opposing him so as not to affect his psychology going into the shoot-out.

Bologna claimed a 2-1 victory away against Cremoense in Serie A on Sunday after goals from Joao Mario, Jonathan Rowe and Federico Bonazzoli, but the game descended into chaos when each side had a man sent off for separate, but similar incidents in second-half injury time.

Cremonese picked up a crucial 2-0 victory over Parma in their last fixture prior to the international break, which had them out of the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of kick-off against Bologna on Sunday. The Rossoblu were defeated 2-0 by Lazio in their most recent league game, their second loss in three Serie A outings, but did defeat Roma over two legs of the Europa League round of 16 during that run. 

There was no Jamie Vardy for the hosts on Sunday, unavailable with a muscular strain. Milan Djuric replacing Antonio Sanabria in attack was Marco Giampaolo’s only change. Bologna made three personnel alterations, reintroducing Joao Mario, Jhon Lucumi and Remo Freuler. 

Click here to read more about how today’s teams lined up.

It was the perfect start for Bologna, who claimed the lead within the first three minutes. Juan Miranda sent a hopeful, looping cross into the area, which Joao Mario met at the far post and managed to bounce over Emil Audero with a well-taken first-time volley. 

Miranda was involved again as Bologna doubled their advantage just over 10 minutes later. The Spaniard made his way down the left flank again and cut a pass back across the area for Rowe to sweep home for his second Serie A goal of the season, his sixth across all competitions.

Santiago Castro could and possibly should have made it three in the first half after Filippo Terracciano made a mistake with an attempted headed clearance in his own area, but the Argentine was unable to steer the ball the right side of the post. 

Nikola Moro also struck the crossbar from a free-kick 25 yards out from goal in what was a dominant first-half Bologna display. 

Cremonese registered their closest attempt just shy of the hour mark when Federico Bonazzoli, lurking at the back post, made good contact with Giuseppe Pezzella’s deep cross in from the left flank, but Federico Ravaglia pulled out an excellent reaction save to deny him.

Castro threatened again for Bologna in the 65th minute, flashing an improvised volley just wide of the top corner from the edge of the area. 

Ravaglia needed to be alert again to deny second-half Cremonese substitute Martin Payero, who registered a shot on target just outside the six-yard box when the ball fell kindly for him after a deflected effort from Bonazzoli.

It had been a decent performance from Ravaglia in the Bologna goal, but he wiped out Romano Floriani Mussonlini while attempting to stop his run into the area and gave Cremonese a late penalty, which Bonazzoli rifles into the top right corner of the net.

More drama unfolded in injury time when Youssef Maleh raised his arm and struck Nadir Zortea off the ball and was then sent off for violent conduct after a VAR check.

It all descended into chaos when Bologna captain Ferguson was sent off 30 seconds after being booked, again for striking his opponent with a raised arm. Unlike the earlier incident, Ferguson was challenging for a header and his sending off seemed slightly more harsh.

The result leaves Cremonese in 17th place, but now at risk of dropping into the relegation zone by the end of the weekend, with 18th-placed Lecce due to host Atalanta on Sunday. Bologna are back up to eighth, five points behind Atalanta in seventh.

Cremonese 1-2 Bologna

Joao Mario 3 (B), Rowe 16 (B), Bonazzoli 91 (C)

05-04-2026 14:00

MatchDay 31

Stadio Giovanni Zini

Cremonese

Bologna

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		3'		João Mário (Assist: Juan Miranda)
		16'		Jonathan Rowe (Assist: Juan Miranda)
Youssef Maleh		45'

2nd half

		75'		Federico Ravaglia
Federico Bonazzoli		90+1'
Martín Payero		90+5'
Youssef Maleh		90+4'
		90+6'		Lewis Ferguson
		90+5'		Lewis Ferguson

Match statistic

37

Possession %

63

9

Total shots

14

3

Shots on target

7

4

Shots off target

5

2

Blocked shots

2

2

Corners

4

0

Offsides

3

15

Fouls

15

Cremonese

Bologna

Starting lineups

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

5

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

33

Alberto Grassi

Midfielder

46'

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

46'

29

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

85'

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

9

Milan Djuric

Attacker

46'

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

82'

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

78'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

82'

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

78'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

61'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

Substitutes

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

30

Mika Faye

Defender

11

Nouroudine Faye

Attacker

77

David Okereke

Attacker

46'

38

Warren Bondo

Midfielder

46'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

53'

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

85'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

14

Torbjørn Heggem

Defender

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

82

Matteo Franceschelli

Goalkeeper

73

Francesco Castaldo

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

61'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

78'

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

78'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

82'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

82'

Fabio Capello has given his latest opinion on the national side and the state of Italian football as a whole, and believes that there is a fundamental issue with the way that youth teams operate in Italy: ‘You can’t demand the kids to follow the same programmes as the professionals’.

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The mood surrounding the Italy national team remains at an all-time low following Tuesday night’s penalty shoot-out defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which cost the Azzurri a place at the World Cup for the third tournament cycle in a row. 

Capello, speaking in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, believes that Italy had more than enough chances to win the game against Bosnia, but says that the defeat and the failure to qualify for three consecutive World Cups points to much deeper issues.

“We could have won the match against Bosnia because we made mistakes, but if we can’t qualify even after the expansion of the World Cup, it means that we have problems,” the former Milan, Roma, Real Madrid and England coach said. 

“We have to do something different, look for another way, because mistakes have been made and we’re paying for them. Failing to qualify three times in a row means that there is a disease that has not been cured.” 

Among the issues that Capello has identified is the fact that there is not enough cohesion between the Italy national side and the players’ domestic clubs. 

“Once upon a time, the national team was made up of ‘blocks’ from club sides, but now the players are scattered about. Without those blocks, there’s a lack of team spirit. Gattuuso tried to bring them closer together, he tried to create a group, but it’s difficult in these conditions.” 

Capello was asked if he thinks that Italy’s biggest issues come on a technical, physical or mental level. 

He replied: “The national team is the mirror of the national championship. In Italy, you walk and jog. In other countries they run and sprint. If they go and play a game where you have to sprint, they’re not used to it and get into difficulty. 

“They need to think first, have the technique to anticipate the passage of play, to control the ball quickly, all things that we do in Italy that are not up to the pace at an international level. 

Capello on Italy’s youth team problems: ‘You can’t demand the kids to follow the same programmes as the professionals’

Capello believes that Italy has a fundamental issue with its youth set-ups across the nation and believes that for years, there has not been enough focus on technique. He says that it is laughable that so many youth sides in Italy follow the same or similar training programmes as the senior professionals. 

“The most serious mistake lies in the youth sectors, where they’re coming up with ‘schemes’ at 12 years old. I enjoy it when I speak to some of them, I ask: ‘Do you have kids that enjoy playing football’, ‘Yes’. ‘Do they make the same schemes as the professionals?’, ‘Yes’, everyone replies happily. Well, I’d get rid of those coaches. 

“You can’t demand the kids to follow the same programmes as the professionals. Let them have fun, but teach them how to kick the ball. 

“Do you know what the issue is? It’s easier to come up with these diagrams than it is to teach technique. That’s where we’ve been lacking. We don’t have suitable teachers. They have to understand players’ defects, the changes in height, the difference in sizes of feet, not everyone is the same. Teach, watch, understand.” 

As for the national team, Capello admits that there is no guarantee of an immediate turnaround under the next head coach. 

“They won’t be able to do much, they will have to be lucky enough to have a group with the spirit and quality to put it all together. 

“Based on the characteristics available, they will have to invent a new team. The truth is that there is a lack of quality. To start again, we need a 10-year plan and to start on that immediately.” 

Capello admits that there is absolutely no chance that he himself becomes involved with the FIGC again, though: “At my age? Are you crazy?”

Former Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi insists that Italian football ‘will recover’ after the failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row earlier this week, but has ruled himself out of the running to replace Gennaro Gattuso as head coach of the Italy national team: ‘I have another year on my contract with Al-Hilal’.

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The former Lazio and Inter head coach, currently in charge of Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League turns 50 today. He is approaching the end of his first season in charge of Al-Hilal, who are currently second in the Saudi  Pro League, five points shy of Cristian Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr with seven games of the season left to go.

“It’s a fantastic situation in Saudi Arabia from all points of view: The lifestyle, the sporting and non-sporting infrastructure, the calmness that accompanies you even in a stressful job like mine,” Inzaghi told Libertà in an interview published on his birthday. 

Inzaghi on Italy national team and personal future: ‘Fortunately, I didn’t need money’

The topic of conversation soon turned to Italy’s latest failure to qualify for the World Cup following their penalty shoot-out defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening.

“I’m very sorry that Italy won’t be at the World Cup for the third time in a row,” said Inzaghi. 

“I’m 100% Italian, my brother also won a World Cup. Italian football will recover, I’m sure of it. Having said that, I left Italian football for a number of reasons.” 

The most obvious of those ‘reasons’ is the significant hike in wages that Inzaghi reportedly received when he decided to move to the Saudi Pro League. He insists that this was not the only motivation behind his decision to leave Italy, though. 

“Wrong. Earning a lot is a pleasure, obviously, but other factors pushed me here. Fortunately, I didn’t need money. 

“The desire to try a completely new experience in a completely new environment. The years I had at Inter were very satisfying from a professional point of view, but also very stressful. I felt the need to experience football at a high level, but to unplug from a load of pressure that had become very heavy.” 

Inzaghi’s name has been mentioned by some outlets in Italy as a potential candidate to replace Gennaro Gattuso as head coach of the national team. He has effectively ruled himself out of the running, though. 

“I’m flattered, but as I said, I’m fine here and I have another year on my contract with Al-Hilal.” 

Cremonese have to make do without Jamie Vardy for the visit of Bologna in Serie A on Easter Sunday, as Marco Giampaolo looks to steer clear of the relegation zone while Vincenzo Italiano hopes to lift the Rossoblu closer to the European positions. 

Giampaolo led Cremonese to a massively important 2-0 victory away against Parma in his first match back in charge prior to the international break, which has the Grigiorossi sitting just above the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of kick-off on Sunday. 

Bologna were beaten 2-0 at home against Lazio last time out in Serie A, their second defeat in their last three league fixtures. The Rossoblu did defeat Roma over two legs of the Europa League round of 16 in the middle of that run, though. 

Italiano’s side find themselves in ninth place on 42 points from 30 matches in the league table ahead of kick-off. 

Milan Djuric replaces Antonio Sanabria in Cremonese’s only personnel change on Sunday. Vardy misses out with a muscular strain.

Bologna have made four alterations altogether, with Joao Mario and Jhon Lucumi returning to the defence in place of Nadir Zortea and Torbjorn Heggem, while Lewis Ferguson and Remo Freuler come into the midfield to replace Nikola Moro and Riccardo Orsolini. 

Kick-off is due at 14.00 BST.

Cremonese vs. Bologna: Confirmed line-ups 

Cremonese (4-4-2): Audero: Terracciano, Bianchetti, Luperto, Pezzella; Zerbin, Grassi, Maleh, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Djuric.

Bologna (4-3-3): Ravaglia; J.Mario, Vitik, Lucumi, Miranda; Sohm, Freuler, Ferguson; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe.

05-04-2026 14:00

MatchDay 31

Stadio Giovanni Zini

Cremonese

Bologna

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		3'		João Mário (Assist: Juan Miranda)
		16'		Jonathan Rowe (Assist: Juan Miranda)
Youssef Maleh		45'

2nd half

		75'		Federico Ravaglia
Federico Bonazzoli		90+1'
Martín Payero		90+5'
Youssef Maleh		90+4'
		90+6'		Lewis Ferguson
		90+5'		Lewis Ferguson

Match statistic

37

Possession %

63

9

Total shots

14

3

Shots on target

7

4

Shots off target

5

2

Blocked shots

2

2

Corners

4

0

Offsides

3

15

Fouls

15

Cremonese

Bologna

Starting lineups

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

5

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

33

Alberto Grassi

Midfielder

46'

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

46'

29

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

85'

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

9

Milan Djuric

Attacker

46'

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

82'

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

78'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

82'

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

78'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

61'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

Substitutes

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

30

Mika Faye

Defender

11

Nouroudine Faye

Attacker

77

David Okereke

Attacker

46'

38

Warren Bondo

Midfielder

46'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

53'

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

85'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

14

Torbjørn Heggem

Defender

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

82

Matteo Franceschelli

Goalkeeper

73

Francesco Castaldo

Attacker

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

61'

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

78'

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

78'

4

Tommaso Pobega

Midfielder

82'

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

82'

Newspapers in Italy warn that the government will need to ‘accelerate’ if the Azzurri are to remain as one of the co-hosts of EURO 2032, as only one stadium is currently ‘ready’ to host matches at the final tournament.

Which venues in Italy are ready to host EURO 2032?

Back in 2023, both the Italian FA (FIGC) and its Turkish counterpart submitted a list of 10 proposed venues to host matches at EURO 2032. As the bid later became a joint venture, each nation will have to revise that list down to five each. 

Of the 10 venues that Italy proposed, only Juventus’s Allianz Stadium is currently ready to host matches with no further construction or redevelopment required. 

Some of the venues that Italy proposed have not yet been built, including proposed new grounds in Milan, Rome and Cagliari. 

The other six venues that Italy proposed all require major redevelopment before they are considered up to standard to host international tournaments. They are the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, the Stadio Maradona in Naples, the Stadio Franchi in Florence, the Stadio Bentegodi in Verona, the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna and the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa.

According to the latest reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy are behind Turkiye in terms of the infrastructure for the tournament and must ‘accelerate’ if they are to have everything ready in six years’ time. 

The FIGC will have to provide an update on the progress of their stadium works in July, and by September, they will have to inform UEFA which stadiums they intend to have host matches at EURO 2032. If all goes to plan, works on several new grounds and redevelopment projects are expected to start in March 2027.

Gianluigi Buffon has confirmed that he has resigned from his role as the delegation chief of the Italy national team following the departure of Gabriele Gravina as FIGC President. 

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Heads are rolling within the Italy national team set-up. FIGC President Gabriele Gravina officially resigned on Tuesday, Buffon has confirmed that he has stepped down and head coach Gennaro Gattuso is expected to follow as well. 

The departures of the senior figures of the Italy national team are leaving in the wake of the penalty shoot-out defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday night’s World Cup play-off final, which cost the Azzurri a place at the World Cup for the third time in a row. 

Buffon, in a long statement posted to his Instagram story, confirmed that he offered his resignation immediately after the Bosnia defeat on Tuesday night, but was asked to hold off from making any formal announcements. 

Now that Gravina has officially resigned, Buffon has made his decision public as well. 

Buffon had served as the head of the delegation of the Italy national team from the summer of 2023. 

What Buffon said about Italy resignation

“Resigning just after the end of the match against Bosnia was an urgent act, one that came from deep within me. As spontaneous as the tears that ache in my heart, and which I know I share with all of you,” Buffon wrote in a statement on Instagram. 

“I was asked to stall until everyone had the time to reflect. Now that President Gravina has chosen to step back, I feel free to do what I feel is the responsible act. Despite my sincere belief that I have built so much in terms of team spirit with Rino Gattuso and all of my collaborators in the very short time available to the national team, the main objective was to bring Italy back to the World Cup. And we didn’t succeed.

“It’s right to leave those who will follow me to choose the person they deem best to fill my role. 

“Representing the national team is an honor for me and a passion that has consumed me since I was a boy. 

“I have tried to do my role by putting all my energy into it, wanting all sectors to be linked, a link for dialogue and synergy between various youth teams, striving to structure a project that starts with the very young lads and reaches all the way up to the U21 national teams. This was to rethink the way in which the talents of the future senior national team are developed. 

“I requested and obtained the inclusion of a few key, highly experienced figures, who are bringing out these necessary chances with a medium and long-term vision. This is because I believe in the policy of meritocracy. It will be up to those in charge to judge the wisdom of these choices.

“I hold everything in my heart, with gratitude for the privilege and the lessons learned, even if it is a painful epilogue. 

“Forza Azzurri sempre.” 

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has offered his full support to the recently-resigned FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina, and says that politicians are the ones who should take most of the responsibility for Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup three times in a row.

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Gravina has officially resigned from his position as President of the FIGC following Tuesday night’s penalty shoot-out defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which cost Italy a place at the World Cup for the third tournament cycle in a row. 

Ceferin was in the stands alongside Gravina in Zenica for the play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The pair have worked closely alongside each other as part of UEFA’s executive committee, of which Ceferin is the President and Gravina the first vice-President. 

Ceferin gave his thoughts on the current situation surrounding Italian football and the calls for Gravina’s head in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, which was published on Thursday morning, a few hours before Gravina’s resignation was announced.

UEFA President defends Gravina and slams Italian politics

Ceferin found it difficult to decide whether or not it was a ‘surprise’ that Italy failed to get past Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday night’s World Cup play-off final.

“In one way yes, but on the other hand, Bosnia have a young and strong team that played at home,” he said. “There was much more pressure on Italy. Bosnia deserved to go to the World Cup, Italy lost after having a man sent off.” 

Ceferin admits that it is no surprise that fans had called for Gravina to step down in light of Italy’s third consecutive World Cup failure.

“When I was the President of the Slovenian federation, I always said to the coach: ‘If you win, you and the players will be the heroes. If you lose, the blame will fall on the two of us’. 

“It is absolutely not Gabriele’s responsibility and I wouldn’t allow myself to attack either the players or the coach. Perhaps it is the Italian politicians who should ask themselves why Italy has one of the worst footballing infrastructures in Europe.” 

Ceferin hinted that he thinks members of the Italy national team set-up were effectively hoping for Gravina’s downfall.

“It makes me angry and sad that there are people who stay ‘hidden’ and wait for something to go wrong and then jump out and start criticising. They don’t support Italy, they just support themselves. 

“Tell me one Italian player who wasn’t called up that should have been? It’s football, and even with the best players on the pitch, anyone can lose a game.

“Gabriele is my first vice-President and he’s very important to me. But the biggest loss would be for the FIGC. It won’t be easy to find a gentleman who loves football and Italy as much as he does. But I’m not so naive as to believe that some of these self-centred people, who were just waiting for something to go wrong, will be thinking about it. They don’t care.” 

Ceferin has previously accused Italy of having insufficient infrastructure in place, which is a concern ahead of EURO 2032, which will be co-hosted by Italy and Turkiye.

“Euro 3023 is scheduled and will take place. I hope the infrastructure will be ready, otherwise the tournament will not be played in Italy.” 

And giving his final comment, Ceferin said: “Italy is one of the biggest footballing nations and will return to the top. The biggest problem in Italian football is the relationship between football politics and ‘normal’ politics. If everyone fell into line, they’d soon become European and world champions again. And if the negativity continues, then things in football will go terribly wrong.” 

The contents of a 900-page report presented by the legendary Roberto Baggio have cropped up in conversations among supporters in the wake of Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. Here is what we know about the report and the changes that were recommended over 15 years ago. 

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Back in August 2010, Baggio was appointed as the head of the technical sector within the FIGC set-up and in December of 2011, presented a 900-page report that proposed a major overhaul of the federation’s training methods and its pathway for young talents. 

Baggio resigned from his position in 2013, claiming that the recommendations that he brought forward had been completely ignored. 

What was in Baggio’s 900-page Italy report?

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Baggio had called for ‘adequate’ sporting facilities and wanted 100 different training centres to be operated by the FIGC.

Baggio also wanted to change the approach that the FIGC had to training coaches and managers. He wanted to focus on coaches who were well educated, preferably with degrees and with different professional experiences, not necessarily within football. 

He also wanted to implement a permanent study group, made up of FIGC members and university researchers, that would have been in ‘constant contact’ with coaching and backroom staff. 

Baggio also called for a vast improvement of data collection within the youth sector. 

He wanted 100 different training centres in 100 different districts of Italy, with three FIGC coaches assigned to each one. His aim was to have 50,000 matches per year for young Italian talents to prove themselves. 

Baggio also felt that there was too much attention being paid to tactical approach rather than technique, which is a topic that continues to come up in 2026. 

These suggestions were completely ignored 15 years ago, but now, with a major overhaul of the FIGC and national team set-up expected, Italy might be wise to revisit some of the topics that Baggio addressed all the way back in 2011.

Gabriele Gravina has officially resigned from his position as President of the FIGC following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third tournament cycle in a row. 

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Official: Gravina is no longer FIGC President

Gravina has tendered his resignation at an emergency meeting of the FIGC general council following Italy’s World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening.

An election to appoint his replacement will take place on June 22.

Present at the emergency FIGC meeting were Serie A President Ezio Simonelli, Serie B President Paolo Bedin, Serie C President Matteo Marani, President of the amateur leagues Giancarlo Abete, head of the players’ association Umberto Calcagno and head of the coaches’ association Renzo Ulivieri.

Gravina has held the highest position within the Italian football association since October 2018. The Nazionale won Euro 2020 during his tenure, but also failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 World Cups while he was in charge. Italy had also failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup prior to Gravina’s appointment. 

Gravina was in charge of the Italian federation for the appointments of Luciano Spalletti and Gennaro Gattuso as head coaches in 2023 and 2025 respectively.

There had been calls from fans and senior figures within Italian football for Gravina to step down from his position as FIGC President in the wake of the latest failure to qualify for the World Cup. 

Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi said on Wednesday that: “it’s evident that Italian football needs to be rebuilt, and this process must start with a renewal of the FIGC leadership.” 

It remains to be seen who will take over the position as the head of the Italian football association. 

Former CONI chief Giovanni Malago is among the early frontrunners, as are the aforementioned Abete and Marani.

What FIGC said about Gravina resignation

“The meeting between President Gabriele Gravina and the presidents of the federal components took place today at the FIGC headquarters in Rome,” began a statement from the FIGC.

“At the beginning of the work, Gravina informed the top representatives of the Serie A Football League Ezio Maria Simonelli, the B League Paolo Bedin, the Pro League Matteo Marani, the National Amateur League Giancarlo Abete, the Italian Footballers Association Umberto Calcagno and the Italian Football Coaches Association Renzo Ulivieri, that he had resigned from the position entrusted to him in February 2025 and that he had called the Extraordinary Elective Assembly of the FIGC for the June 22 in Rome.

“The date was identified in full compliance with the Federal Statute and to ensure that the new governance can complete the registration procedure for the next professional championships.

“During the meeting, Gravina thanked the members for renewing, in public and private, the closeness and support to himself and informed the presidents that he had gladly made himself available to speak at a hearing on 8 April (11 am) in the VII Commission for Culture, Science and Education of the Chamber of Deputies to report on the state of health of Italian football.

“It will be there that President Gravina will expose, in the most complete and exhaustive way possible, a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the movement, also touching on some of the issues already addressed in the press conference held after the national team match played in Zenica last Tuesday 31 March.

“In this regard, Gravina said he regretted the interpretation of his words on the difference between amateur and professional sports, which were absolutely not intended to be offensive to any sporting discipline, but were a reference to the different internal laws and regulations (for example, the presence in the governance of some Federations of Leagues with their relative autonomy) and external (with express reference to the corporate nature of the Clubs professional football clubs that must be subject to national and international legislation different from amateur clubs).”

Gennaro Gattuso is widely expected to leave his position as head coach of the Italy national team following his failure to guide the Nazionale to the 2026 World Cup, and according to the latest updates, there are three main candidates to replace him. 

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Who could replace Gattuso as Italy national team head coach?

Gattuso and his players fell short in the World Cup play-off final away against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night. The 10-man Azzurri lost on penalties away in Zenica, which means that they have now failed to qualify for the last three World Cup tournaments. 

As a result, Italian football is set for a major overhaul, with Gattuso expected to leave his position in the imminent future, Gianluigi Buffon expected to leave his role as delegation chief, and Gabriele Gravina to depart the position of President of the FIGC. 

According to reports from Sky Sport Italia and others, there are three early options to replace Gattuso as head coach. 

The ‘dream’ option for many Azzurri supporters would be Massimiliano Allegri, who is less than a year into his two-year deal with Milan, which also includes an option to extend for a further 12 months. 

The former Juventus head coach has never previously coached the national team, but is the second-most successful Serie A coach of all time with 6 Scudetti to his name. 

There have also been reports of a potential return to the Italy set-up for Antonio Conte, who previously held the position between 2014 and 2016. 

Conte went 10 matches unbeaten at the start of his Italy spell and comfortably secured qualification for Euro 2016, but left to join Chelsea in the Premier League after guiding the team to a quarter-final finish at the tournament.

Another former Italy CT who could potentially return to the role is Roberto Mancini, whois currently under contract with Al-Sadd in 2027. Reports from Sky indicate that he would ‘gladly’ return to the position.

Italy won EURO 2020 under the stewardship of Mancini in the summer of 2021, but also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup during his tenure.

There have also been suggestions of Simone Inzaghi and Stefano Pioli, who are currently considered outsiders for the role.

Gabriele Gravina has arrived at the FIGC quarters ahead of an emergency meeting of the federation’s general council, and the head of the Italian FA is expected to tender his resignation once the session gets underway, according to various reports in Italy. 

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Italy set for major overhaul with Gattuso, Gravina and Buffon departures

The Italy national team and the nation’s football association is set for a major overhaul following the World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night, which means that the Azzurri will miss out on the final tournament for the third time in a row. 

Head coach Gennaro Gattuso is expected to leave his position, as is delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon, who has been part of the national team set-up since the summer of 2023. 

According to reports from Sky Sport Italia and various others, Gravina arrived at the FIGC headquarters in Rome on Tuesday morning and will speak to the federation’s council at around 13.30 BST (14.30 CET).

He is expected to offer his resignation from his position as President of the Italian football association.

Part of the meeting will be Serie A President Ezio Simonelli, Serie B PResident Paolo Bedin, Serie C President Matteo Marani, Amateur League President Giancarlo Abete, players’ association chief Umberto Calcagno and coaches’ association head Renzo Ulivieri.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Gennaro Gattuso will step down from his position as head coach of the Italy national team and that Gianluigi Buffon will also depart following the failure to reach the World Cup for the third tournament cycle in a row.

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Gattuso and Buffon to step down from Italy roles

Italy missed out on a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing second in their qualification group and then losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their play-off final on Tuesday evening. 

The Azzurri have not qualified for the World Cup since 2014 and have not won a knock-out game at the tournament since beating France in the final in 2006. 

Gattuso was called in to replace Luciano Spalletti as head coach of the Italy national team after two games of qualification for the 2026 World Cup last summer. 

According to reports from various outlets in Italy, including Sky Sport Italia, La Gazzetta dello Sport and others, Gattuso is now expected to step down from his position as CT in the imminent future. 

Buffon, who has been working with the national team set-up since August 2023, and had a large say in the decision to appoint Gattuso, is also expected to leave his position as delegation chief. 

According to the initial reports, there are two clear first-choice favourites for the Italy national team head coach, however, both are currently under contract with Serie A clubs. Those managers are Antonio Conte, who has already had a stint in charge of the Nazionale, and Massimiliano Allegri,  who is less than a year into his second stint in charge of Milan.

La Gazzetta dello Sport 

The shock 

Italian football changes after the latest failure

Gravina heading for farewell, then goes Gattuso

The government pushes for a change: The President ready to resign today. Serie A clubs consider Malago. The right choice. The dismissals require courage

Bastoni, the sending off is a shock. Inter, the sale is getting closer 

Ceferin: ‘Politics should think about the stadiums. Italy is among the worst in Europe.

Corriere dello Sport 

Italy backs Allegri 

But Mancini is strongly re-emerging. FIGC, Abete as the ruler

Everyone at home | Refounding after the latest disaster: 3 missed World Cups in a row, Gravina and Gattuso heading for goodbyes 

Max as the new CT: It’s the fans’ big dream. Roberto ready to return. Conte also liked. Abodi: ‘The President should resign’. The head of the Lega Dilettanti could become the caretaker while waiting for the elections. Malago in pole.  DeLa: ‘He’s the right man’

Inter block, the flop

From the nightmare in Zenica to the Scudetto fight 

Bastoni stumbling, Dimarco struggling and Barella is in reserve. Pio’s performance also disappointing. Chivu has a lot of issues to unravel ahead of the Roma match in San Siro on Sunday evening: Eight games until the end and challenges from Milan (-6) and Napoli (-7). Cristian makes his moves 

Alajbegovic, Roma prepare for the blitz 

The Bosnian talent 

Playing for Salzburg but is owned by Bayer. Bruno Conti thinking of leaving

Juve awaiting the Yildiz gift 

Champions League race

Kenan has taken Turkiye to the World Cup: Now for fourth place for Spalletti

Napoli, mission De Bruyne: Quota 100 

99 goals scored until now 

Pulisic mystery: Awaited in Milan 

No goals at all in 2026 

Last scored on December 28: ‘But now I feel on top again’ 

Tuttosport 

‘He can’t stay’ 

Everyone against Gravina: Expecting the dismissal today 

The gaffe about the ‘amateur’ opponents backfires on the federation President. Sporting champions and fans are up in arms. Minister Abodi lashes out: ‘Change is needed’. Emergency meeting of the FIGC. Rumours regarding Abete, Malago and Marani. Gattuso also heading towards a goodbye: Conte return draws interest. The lesson from Palestra and the U21s 

Yildiz, a World Cup boost for the Champions League race 

He transcended Turkiye in the play-offs: Now the mission with Juve 

He’s in overwhelming form: Montella thanks him again, Spalletti hopes to do the same. Meanwhile, Kenan ‘blesses’ his compatriot Deniz, currently impressing with the Bianconeri U16s. Interview with Nicolaas Fonseca, Oviedo and Uruguay midfielder: ‘My father Daniel, a real Juventino. Turin is in my heart. I recommend Ugarte’

Interisti in disarray, Scudetto alarms 

From Bastoni to Pio, morale at zero 

From Juve to Bosnia, the defender in turmoil: Can Barca be the saviour? Chivu fears repercussions, especially for Esposito. And Zielinski, too

Livakovic winks at Toro 

On loan to Dinamo Zagreb and leaving Fenerbahce in June: The prospect of joining Torino intrigues him, and a direct link to Vlasic from the national team