Former Italian national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has resigned as head of the national team delegation.
Idman.Biz reports that the Italian national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties (1:1, penalties – 1:4) in the play-off final of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
"Resigning after the game against Bosnia was an urgent decision that came from the depths of my soul. It was as spontaneous as the tears and pain in my heart, and I share it with you all.
I was asked to wait until everyone had time to think about the situation.
Now that the president has decided to resign, I feel free to do what I consider responsible, because despite my sincere belief that I, together with Gattuso and all my colleagues, did a lot for the team spirit in the very short time allotted to the national team, the main goal was to bring Italy back to the World Cup.
And we failed.
It is right to give those who come after me the freedom to choose the person they consider best for my position.
Representing the national team is a great honor for me and a passion that has fascinated me since childhood.
I spent all my energy, explored all sectors to be a bridge for dialogue and synergy between the various youth teams, worked with various coaches to develop a project ranging from the youngest players to the U21s.
All this is aimed at rethinking the approach to developing talents for the future great national team.
I have requested and secured the inclusion of several key, highly qualified professionals who, together with their existing skills, will implement these necessary changes in the medium and long term.
You must judge for yourselves the wisdom of these decisions.
Even in the painful epilogue of this rich experience, I keep everything in my heart for the privilege and lesson it gave me," Buffon wrote on his social media page.