Italy
\nManager Gennaro Gattuso and Italy have agreed to \u201cmutually terminate\u201d his contract after their failure to qualify for a third successive World Cup.
\nItaly missed out on a spot at this summer\u2019s showpiece event when they were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia-Herzegovina in Tuesday\u2019s play-off.
\nGattuso, who won 73 caps for the Azzurri during his playing career, was appointed as Luciano Spalletti\u2019s successor in June and won six of his eight games in charge.
\nAn emotional Gattuso apologised for the defeat during his post-match news conference and admitted it was \u201chard to digest\u201d.
\n\u201cWith 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,\u201d Gattuso said.
\n\u201cThe Azzurri jersey is the most precious asset in football, which is why it\u2019s right to facilitate future technical evaluations right from the start.
\n\u201cIt 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.\u201d
\nIt follows the resignation of Gabriele Gravina as the head of Italy\u2019s football association (FIGC) on Thursday.
\nFormer goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was working closely with the national side, also resigned as delegation head via Instagram., external
\nItaly are four-time World Cup champions but last featured at the tournament in 2014.
\nNo previous winner of the tournament has missed three World Cups in a row, which Italy now have after missing out on Russia in 2018 and Qatar 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Italy Manager Gennaro Gattuso and Italy have agreed to \u201cmutually terminate\u201d his contract after their failure to qualify for a third successive World Cup. Italy missed out on a spot at this summer\u2019s showpiece event when they were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia-Herzegovina in Tuesday\u2019s play-off. Gattuso, who won 73 caps for the Azzurri […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-539857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n