The 2018 World Cup will be the first one without Italy’s national soccer team in 60 years. This is the outcome of the European World Cup qualifying playoff which saw Sweden beating Italy for the final spot. Despite this historic failure, Italy’s coach Gian Piero Ventura refused to resign saying he thinks he can do better. Most of the fans and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) thought otherwise, so he was sacked on Wednesday.
“During the course of a meeting called by FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio, an examination was launched following the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018. As the first point on the day’s agenda, Tavecchio announced that, as of today, Gian Piero Ventura is no longer the coach of the national team.” said the official statement of FIGC.
Italy ended in the second place of group B of the European Qualifiers for World Cup behind Spain. When it was announced that Italy will face Sweden in the additional qualifiers, everyone thought that four times World Cup winners had an easy task. In the first game, however, Italy struggled to penetrate Sweden’s defense while Sweden managed to score a goal. In the second match, played in Milan, Italy again didn’t manage to score which ultimately meant they won’t be a part of the 2018 World Cup.
Gian Piero Ventura was appointed as Italy’s coach in 2016 after he managed to bring Torino back to Seria A. During his tenure as the coach of Italy, Ventura recorded 10 wins, four draws, and three defeats. He was often criticized for his tactical decisions and there were rumors that some of the players in the national team didn’t like the style of football Ventura advocated.
Now Italy is looking for a new coach, with former Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti being a strong favorite.
