Gabriele Gravina: "FIGC, I should have left sooner"

In a long interview with Corriere dello Sport, Gabriele Gravina, who was president of FIGC, shared his decision to resign following the upheavals within the federation. Gravina said: "I leave a federation that is growing strongly and has a viable plan, despite being under a lot of external pressure. The federation currently has 98.7% support from the public and contributes 1.4 billion euros to the national budget from football."

He also mentioned that Italy has not participated in the World Cup since 2014 and said that it is a price to pay not only due to bad luck. Gravina emphasized: "As CONI President Buonfiglio said, a sports result cannot be a reason to conduct an inspection."

When talking about her decision to resign, Gravina said: "I feel under constant attack. I cannot continue this fight to protect my personal position. I should have left earlier, in June-July 2025, when I realized that all reform efforts were unsuccessful." Finally, he also commented on the two potential candidates for his position, Malagò and Abete, saying: "They are two excellent managers and the FIGC will remain in capable hands. I feel the public's opinion, of course."