"With pain in my heart, having failed to achieve the target we set ourselves, I am bringing an end to my experience as national team boss. The blue shirt is the most special one that exists in football and for that reason I need to leave it in the hands of a new technical team going into the future."
"I must thank president Gravina and Buffon, and all those I've worked with at the federation, for the faith and support they have always given me. It was an honour to lead the national team and I did it with a group of lads who always showed fight and devotion to the shirt."
"Having also failed to reach Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, four-time champions Italy are the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive World Cups."
Gennaro Gattuso has stepped down as Italy's national team coach by mutual consent after the team's failure to qualify for the World Cup. Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout during the play-off final. Gattuso took responsibility for the team's poor performance, finishing second in their qualifying group. He expressed gratitude to the Italian Football Federation and the fans, stating that leading the national team was an honor. Italy has now missed three consecutive World Cups, marking a significant decline for the four-time champions.
Read at ESPN.com
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