Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriel Gravina said on Tuesday that he has asked national team coach Gennaro Gattuso to remain in his post.

Gattuso had a brilliant playing career, winning two Champions League titles, one Club World Cup, two Serie A titles, two UEFA Super Cups, one Coppa Italia, and two Italian Super Cups with AC Milan. He was also the midfield core of Italy's golden generation, playing a crucial role in his country's World Cup victory in 2006.

After retiring in 2013, Gattuso chose to transition into coaching. He has coached several teams, including Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa, AC Milan, Napoli, Valencia, Marseille, and Hajduk, before officially succeeding Luciano Spalletti as the Italian national team coach in June 2025.

To date, Gattuso's record as manager of Italy is 6 wins and 2 losses. He also led Italy to the final of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers, but they lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout, failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time.

Nevertheless, Gravina still expressed his full support for Gattuso in the post-match press conference: "Everyone's feelings at this moment are obvious, especially considering the result of this match. Please allow me to congratulate the lads, who have made rapid progress in recent months. Unfortunately, many of you may not be able to understand the atmosphere and environment within the team. We wanted to bring joy to the fans."

“I also want to congratulate Gattuso; he is a great coach. I have asked him to stay on with Buffon and continue to guide the lads. He has a very good understanding with the players.”

“You all watched the game; they gave it their all. Now, we need to conduct a multi-faceted evaluation. Technically, we need to retain the current squad 100%. As for administrative decisions, I will convene the Italian Football Federation committee next week for an evaluation. I understand the calls for my resignation, but the evaluation work should be the responsibility of the Italian Football Federation committee according to law.”

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