Home / Football / Internationals News Forget football and watch tennis or Formula One instead, says Italy legend after World Cup failure Written by Jon Fisher Last Update: April 1, 2026 11:35:42 am BST 3 min read Former Italy coach and legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff has advised youngsters in the country to ignore football and watch tennis or Formula One instead. The backlash from Italys failure to reach the World Cup finals for a third successive time, following last nights play-off defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina, is underway this morning with fans, pundits and politicians all having their say.Zoff, who won 112 caps for his country and coached Italy to a runners-up finish at Euro 2000, refused to point blame on individuals despite widespread calls for the resignations of coach Gennaro Gattuso and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina.Zoff told the ANSA news agency: Italy out of the World Cup? Its a tragedy, football-wise. Could it have been avoided? I dont want to get into the matter. We wanted to avoid it but we didnt succeed.The first one [failure to reach the World Cup] was bad luck, and perhaps the second. But the third? You cant cling to anything.Unfortunately, there is a generation of young people who have never seen Italy at the World Cup. I would advise them to watch [tennis player Jannik] Sinner or Formula One with [Kimi] Antonelli.Table of Contents1 Bastoni red card makes life difficult for Italy2 Gravina: Dont just blame the federation for Italys woesBastoni red card makes life difficult for ItalyIt was a miserable night for the Azzurri in Zenica.The Azzurri were favourites to end a 12-year absence from the finals after beating Northern Ireland in the semi-finals, and Moise Keans 15th-minute opener seemingly put them on course for a trip to North America this summer.But, in truth, Italy were second-best for long periods, and their task was made even harder by Alessandro Bastonis red card in the 41st minute.Bosnia took advantage when Haris Tabakovi levelled 11 minutes from the end of normal time and, though Italy held on for extra time and had the better of the additional half hour, it was the hosts who held their nerve in the shootout.Pio Esposito blazed the first penalty over and, after Bryan Cristante cracked the crossbar with Italys third attempt, Esmir Bajraktarevic snuck Bosnias fourth under Gianluigi Donnarumma to send Bosnia to their second World Cup as an independent nation.Gravina: Dont just blame the federation for Italys woesGravina appeared in front of the media after the game and claimed there were issues in Italian football that went well beyond the federation.He said: The crisis is deep, [Italian] football needs to be redesigned. The FIGC is being talked about as if it were the only player, when, in fact, the federation is the unifying force.There are the leagues, there are the clubs. This is why we need a broader reflection in order to change things. We know were in a moment of great crisis, which requires a comprehensive reflection that isnt just the responsibility of the federation.Gravinas future will be determined by a meeting of the FIGC Council next week. He has asked Gattuso to stay on as coach but the decision may be taken out of his hands. Topics: 2026 FIFA World Cup Italy National Football Team Jannik Sinner Follow us: Jon Fisher Head of News Jon has over 20 years' experience in sports journalism having worked at the Press Association, Goal and Stats Perform, covering three World Cups, an Olympics and numerous other major sporting events. Read more from Jon Fisher
