Lazio president and Forza Italia senator, Claudio Lotito, has taken the extraordinary step of launching a petition in the Italian Senate urging FIGC president Gabriele Gravina to resign, following Italy’s heartbreaking World Cup playoff defeat to Bosnia on penalties.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb (via Football Italia), Lotito is leveraging his political influence to increase pressure on Gravina, who has given no indication of stepping down despite presiding over Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Italy drew 1-1 after 90 minutes in Zenica, but Alessandro Bastoni’s red card in the first half left the Azzurri a man down for most of the match.
With no goals in extra time, the tie went to penalties, where Italy were ultimately eliminated.
Political pressure on Gravina has intensified significantly. The Sports Minister has already publicly called on him to resign.
In response, the FIGC president has scheduled an emergency meeting for tomorrow afternoon in Rome, bringing together representatives from Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, amateur leagues, as well as coaches’ and players’ associations, to evaluate the situation ahead of a full Federal Council meeting next week.
Outside FIGC headquarters, the mood has turned hostile, with protesters reportedly pelting the building with eggs following the crushing defeat.
