Giampiero Ventura has paid the price for Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and been relieved of his duties.
In a terse statement last night, the Italian football federation said that after a discussion “Ventura is no longer the head coach of the national team”.
Ventura’s departure was widely expected after Italy were beaten by Sweden over their two-leg qualification match, resulting in their absence from football’s showpiece tournament for the first time since 1958.
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Italy wanted blood and got it, although sacking the manager will do little to address the steady decline of the national team over the last decade.
Ventura succeeded Antonio Conte after the 2016 European Championships, but his reign lasted less than 18 months and he departs in ignominy, despite his protestations to the contrary in an interview given shortly before he was sacked.
Describing his record as “one of the best of the last 40 years”, the 69-year-old added: “I lost only two games in two years.”
Unfortunately, one of those was to Sweden last week, a 1-0 defeat that ultimately cost Italy their place in the 2018 World Cup.
“I can only apologise to the Italians, not for the will or effort but for the result, which as I know is the main thing,” said Ventura.
According to Italian football journalist Carlo Garganese, writing in Goal.com, Ventura should not shoulder the blame alone.
Arguing the manager should never have been appointed in the first place, the writer dismisses Ventura as an elderly man who had never coached any of the big Italian clubs in a career spanning four decades.
He got the job “because of who he knew rather than because of his talent”, says Garganese, and that shows the rottenness at the heart of the Italian football establishment.
For example, Carlo Tavecchio, president of the Italian federation and the man who hired Ventura, was elected to the job in the same year he made a racist comment about African players “eating bananas”, as The Guardian reported.
“Italian football needs to be completely revolutionised,” adds Garganese, and for that to happen, Tavecchio must follow Ventura out of the door.
As for Italy’s next manager, Sky Sports claims Carlo Ancelotti “has been approached”. If he accepts, his first test will be a friendly against England in March.
