Gabriele Gravina, outgoing president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), has released an 11-page manifesto lambasting deep-rooted institutional flaws after Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup. Resigning last week amid the fallout from playoff defeat, he continues managing daily operations until a successor emerges on June 22. The document, originally slated for parliament, shifts blame from personal missteps to systemic breakdowns long documented in official reports.
Institutional Disconnects and Worsening Metrics
Gravina argues that critical issues in Italian football have persisted for years, evidenced by deteriorating statistics across multiple reports. He calls for clear delineation of duties among the federation, professional divisions, and public bodies, decrying inaccuracies and falsehoods that obscure true accountability. This fragmentation, he contends, paralyzes progress and perpetuates misconceptions about responsibility.
Declining Technical and Physical Standards
The manifesto reveals alarming gaps in Italy's top division compared to elite European counterparts. It ranks the division 49th out of 50 monitored for minutes played by under-21 national team eligibles, at just 1.9 percent. Physical metrics lag too: the division falls outside the top 10 for sprint distances covered, with average ball speed at 7.6 meters per second versus 10.4 in Champions League fixtures and 9.2 across other major circuits. Quotas on foreign professionals remain unfeasible, Gravina notes, due to European Union rules on worker mobility in professional contexts.
Government Funding Shortfalls and Federal Successes
Gravina contrasts scant support for football infrastructure with lavish allocations for events like the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and Taranto Mediterranean Games, which secured billions. No comparable aid has materialized for football, even prospective 2032 European Championship hosting. He credits achievements in federally controlled domains—social sustainability, youth initiatives, school programs, and national development pathways—with direct oversight, unlike overlapping stakeholder interests that stall broader efforts.
Proposals for Systemic Overhaul
To arrest decline, Gravina urges reinstating the Growth Decree tax incentives for foreign professionals, diverting betting revenues to youth and facilities, ending the advertising ban on wagering, and restructuring divisions from top to lower tiers. His parting warning underscores that no leader alone can revive the system without unified prioritization of collective interests over parochial defenses, backed by enabling political measures. Italian authorities now face mounting pressure as elections loom.