Tuesday’s World Cup playoff final against Bosnia in Zenica carries enormous consequences beyond the pitch, with prominent journalist Giancarlo Padovan warning that a third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup could trigger a complete overhaul of the FIGC’s senior leadership.
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Speaking on Radio Radio, via CalcioMercato, Padovan was unequivocal.
“I think that if Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup, the federation would be placed under external administration for a year with the current leadership wiped out,” he said.
FIGC boss Gravina in trouble if Italy miss out on World Cup
FIGC president Gabriele Gravina is the most prominent figure under threat.
Despite overseeing back-to-back World Cup absences, he was re-elected recently, running unopposed, and has so far survived significant pressure to step down.
A third consecutive failure to reach the tournament would make his position almost certainly untenable, according to Padovan, with other senior officials around him also at risk.
Italy face Bosnia knowing that only a victory will secure their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Gennaro Gattuso’s side won their semi-final against Northern Ireland and now stand one match away from ending a painful absence from the global stage.
Defeat, however, would set in motion what Padovan describes as a fundamental reset of Italian football’s governing structures.
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