Lazio President Claudio Lotito has initiated a notable move, presenting a petition in the Italian Senate demanding the resignation of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. This action follows Italy’s crushing defeat to Bosnia on penalties in the World Cup playoff final.
Reports indicate that Lotito, who serves as both Lazio’s president and a Forza Italia senator, is leveraging his political standing to intensify pressure on Gravina. Gravina has not yet signaled any intention to resign, despite this being the third consecutive World Cup qualification failure under his leadership.
The match in Zenica concluded 1-1 after 90 minutes. A red card for Alessandro Bastoni in the first half left the Azzurri playing with ten men for most of the game. With no further goals in extra time, the contest proceeded to a penalty shootout, where Italy suffered elimination.
Gravina Under Intense Pressure as FIGC Chief Resists Calls for Resignation
The political scrutiny facing Gravina has significantly escalated.
The Sports Minister has openly urged his resignation. In response, the FIGC president has scheduled an emergency meeting in Rome for tomorrow afternoon. This gathering will include representatives from Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, amateur leagues, and coaches’ and players’ associations, to evaluate the current predicament before a comprehensive Federal Council meeting next week.
Outside the FIGC headquarters, the atmosphere has turned hostile, with protestors throwing eggs at the building after yesterday’s outcome.
Gravina, recently re-elected without opposition despite Italy’s previous two failures to qualify for the World Cup, is now confronting the most significant crisis of his presidency. With Lotito orchestrating political opposition directly from the Senate, the demands for Gravina’s resignation are becoming progressively harder to disregard.
