Related News
Besieged Italy soccer chief resigns
Print Edition
Italian football federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio resigned yesterday, a week after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The announcement came following calls for a complete overhaul of the nation鈥檚 most popular sport, from amateur leagues right up to Serie A and the national teams.
Sweden鈥檚 playoff win over Italy kept the four-time champion out of the World Cup for the first time in six decades.
The Azzurri finished second in their qualifying group behind Spain and then were beaten by Sweden 0-1 on aggregate.
Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura was fired two days after the loss.
For the last week, Tavecchio, 74, had resisted calls to step down but he eventually lost the support of the federation鈥檚 board of directors.
At a summit called to address the failed qualification, Tavecchio told the board in Rome that political maneuvers 鈥渉ave prevented us from discussing the reasons for this result鈥, according to the ANSA news agency.
鈥淚鈥檝e taken note that some of you have changed your stances,鈥 Tavecchio added before announcing his resignation.
Often referring to himself in the third person, he said he had been the victim of persecution by the media. 鈥淭he only thing missing was Tavecchio on the cross,鈥 he said.
Former federation chief Giancarlo Abete said as he left the board meeting that a new election would be held within 90 days.
Abete added that due process needs to be respected so a candidate 鈥渟upported by the majority can be freely elected as the new president as soon as possible.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want a leader who is left all alone,鈥 Abete said.
Players association president Damiano Tommasi said he 鈥渉opes the next president is someone who can talk football鈥.
Tommasi, who played on Italy鈥檚 squad at the 2002 World Cup and won the Serie A title with AS Roma in 2001, added that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not the right time鈥 to say if he will run for the presidency. 鈥淣obody has asked me to yet,鈥 Tommasi said.
A Gazzetta dello Sport poll published on Monday showed that 73 percent of adults in Italy wanted Tavecchio to step down.
There was a precedent since former president Abete and former coach Cesare Prandelli both resigned immediately after Italy was eliminated in the first round of the 2014 World Cup.
Tavecchio was elected to succeed Abete in 2014 despite a racist comment during his election campaign.
UEFA banned Tavecchio for six months after he made a reference to bananas when discussing the presence of foreign players in Italy.
Tavecchio was re-elected for another 4-year term in March.
Italian football now finds itself without a federation president, national team coach, and presidents of both Lega Serie A and Lega Serie B.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
