The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officially announced on Friday that it has prematurely terminated the contract of national team coach Gennaro Gattuso, which was originally scheduled to expire this summer. This comes after FIGC president Gabriel Gravina and national team manager Gianluigi Buffon had both submitted their resignations.

The 48-year-old Gattuso was the midfield maestro of Italy's golden generation, playing a crucial role in the national team's victory at the 2006 World Cup. After retiring, he coached several teams, including Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa, AC Milan, Napoli, Valencia, Marseille, and Hajduk. His most representative achievement was undoubtedly leading Napoli to the Italian Cup title in the 2019/20 season.

In June 2025, Gattuso officially succeeded Luciano Spalletti as the head coach of the Italian national team. After taking office, he led the team to a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, but the only two defeats occurred at key moments in the World Cup qualifiers - first, a 1-4 loss to Norway in the final group stage match, and then a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final.

After two defeats, Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. In his farewell speech, Gattuso could not hide his remorse: "With a heavy heart, I believe my career as national team coach has come to an end due to our failure to achieve our goals. The Azzurri are the most valuable asset in football, so it is only right to pave the way for future technical evaluations from now on."

"I want to thank President Gabriel Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon, as well as all my colleagues at the Italian Football Federation, for their continued trust and support. It is an honor to coach the national team, especially to work with a group of players who are highly committed to and deeply passionate about the team. But most of all, I want to thank the fans and all Italians for their unwavering love and support for the national team over the past few months. The Italian national team will always be in my heart."

Gravina added, "I want to thank Gattuso again because he is not only a special person, but also contributed a lot during his coaching tenure, reigniting the passion for the national team in just a few months. He successfully inspired a strong sense of pride in the Azzurri among the players and throughout the country."

Image source: Internet/FIGC official website