World Cup
Italy federation chief resigns after another World Cup failure
Italian soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina resigned on Thursday, in the wake of the national team’s failure to qualify for a third straight World Cup.
Gravina, in charge of the FIGC since 2018, had been urged by the government to step down after Italy’s defeat on penalties in the playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.
The federation will hold an extraordinary assembly on June 22 to elect a new chief, while Gravina offered to appear before a parliamentary committee on April 8 “to report on the state of health of Italian soccer”, a statement said.
That hearing has now been cancelled, as the committee awaits the election outcome.
The Italian soccer team last qualified for the World Cup in 2014 and has won only one match at the finals since lifting the trophy for the fourth time in 2006.
Former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, national team delegation head, has also announced his resignation via social media.
Gravina was elected unopposed in October 2018, the 72-year-old replacing Carlo Tavecchio who resigned a week after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“After many years there is a feeling of great bitterness, but great serenity,” Gravina told reporters.
“I must thank all the federal components who today have shown me great affection, support and closeness today, also insisting that I continue, but my personal choice was made with conviction and careful consideration.”
While Gravina’s term included the Euro 2020 triumph, it also involved another two World Cup qualification failures and his position had become increasingly untenable after much criticism from Italian media and senior political figures.
Italy’s Sports Minister Andrea Abodi described Italy’s latest failure as a “definitive defeat” and suggested that Italian football needs to be “rebuilt from the ground up”.
Gravina spoke immediately after the loss to Bosnia, saying he understood the request for resignation but that there was a suitable place to make evaluations.
That place was the FIGC headquarters in Rome, where Gravina met with the six federal components – Serie A, B and C, National Amateur League, Players’ Association and Coaches Association – and informed them of his decision at the start of the meeting.
Gravina was re-elected in February 2021, and again in February 2025 with his mandate due to end in 2028, but the search now begins for his successor.
Names already being mentioned include 67-year-old former head of Italy’s Olympic Committee (CONI) Giovanni Malago and previous FIGC president Giancarlo Abete. Abete, 75, held the role from 2007 to 2014.
BUFFON BOWS OUT
Buffon, former Italy goalkeeper and part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side, wrote on Instagram that he had initially offered his resignation immediately after the loss to Bosnia, but had been asked to take time to reflect.
“Now that president Gravina has chosen to take a step back, I feel free to do what I feel is an act of responsibility,” Buffon wrote.
“Because, even in the sincere conviction that I have built so much on a spirit and group level with Rino Gattuso and all the collaborators, in a very short time at the disposal of the national team, the main objective was to bring Italy back to the World Cup.
“We didn’t succeed. It’s fair to leave it to those who will come after, the freedom to choose the figure they think is best to play my role.”
SOCIAL MEDIA STORM
Gravina had also come in for heavy criticism for comments he made after the Bosnia defeat, when asked why Italy excelled in other disciplines but not in football.
In his response, Gravina said that football is a professional sport, while the others are amateur, which caused outrage, with many Italian athletes taking to social media.
Irma Testa, the first female boxer to represent Italy at the Olympics and bronze medallist in 2020, wrote on Instagram that ‘we are the real professionals’ and the FIGC statement on Thursday said that Gravina expressed regret over the interpretation of his remarks.
Gravina explained that his comments referred to the presence within some federations of leagues with their own autonomy and the corporate nature of professional clubs which must comply with national and international legislation.
After Gravina and Buffon’s resignations, Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso’s position is also under question, with his contract ending in June. Media reports have linked Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri as possible replacements.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Iran’s national soccer team, currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, will be able to enter the U.S. the day before each of their three World Cup matches, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.
Media reports over the weekend had quoted the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, as saying that Iran’s team would have to enter and leave the U.S. the same day as they were playing, raising questions over logistics and whether it would affect team performance.
It was not the case that Iran would be forced to arrive the same day as their matches, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
“These statements are untrue,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Thanks to the generosity of President (Donald) Trump, the Iranian team will be able to arrive the day before their matches.”
The ambassador, speaking to Reuters in Tijuana via an interpreter on Monday, criticised U.S. officials for denying visas to some of the Iranian football federation staff but said that the ones that had been granted did not prevent them from staying overnight.
“Their visas don’t specify anything about them having to leave at a certain time,” he said.
After weeks of uncertainty, the U.S. awarded visas to all the players on Friday, just 10 days before their first match.
But several members of the Iranian squad were not given visas, including “key managerial and administrative members,” according to Iran’s football federation. They include the team manager, two team analysts, the media director and a representative of the Foreign Ministry, according to Iran’s embassy in Mexico.
Iran is due to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The players were originally slated to train in Arizona, but that was changed after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in February.
Trump said in March that Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup but that he did not believe it was appropriate for Iran’s team to stay in the U.S. “for their own life and safety.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
FIFA has expressed disappointment over the inability of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan to participate in the FIFA World Cup after United States immigration authorities denied him entry into the country.
The world football governing body confirmed on Monday that Artan, who had been selected among the match officials for the tournament, would be unable to join the World Cup refereeing team after efforts to resolve his immigration status proved unsuccessful.
“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
The decision means Artan, who was poised to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup match, will miss the competition that kicks off on Thursday in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Sources familiar with the situation said FIFA had been in contact with relevant authorities after learning of the referee’s predicament but was ultimately informed that the decision would stand.
Artan arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was denied entry after undergoing additional inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In a statement, CBP said a Somali national was deemed inadmissible because of vetting concerns, though it did not disclose specific details.
The incident has left FIFA without one of Africa’s most respected referees. Artan’s stock has risen significantly in recent years, culminating in his recognition as the Confederation of African Football’s Best Male Referee for 2025.
Last month, he took charge of the second leg of the CAF Champions League final in Morocco, one of the continent’s most prestigious club fixtures.
Despite the setback, Artan struck a positive note in a statement released after the decision.
“I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support, and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future,” he said.
“I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best of luck during the World Cup, and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
The episode has drawn attention to immigration issues surrounding major international sporting events hosted by the United States. The Trump administration’s travel restrictions on citizens from several countries, including Somalia, had already prompted concerns among some stakeholders ahead of the tournament.
FIFA, however, reiterated that immigration matters remain the responsibility of national authorities and emphasized that it has no role in determining the admissibility of individuals entering host countries.
With the tournament set to begin this week, FIFA is expected to proceed with its officiating roster without Artan, while the Somali official turns his attention to future international assignments.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
England defender Djed Spence is set to take a page from Victor Osimhen’s playbook at the FIFA World Cup, revealing that he will wear a protective face mask throughout the tournament after suffering a broken jaw in the closing weeks of the Premier League season.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender joins a growing list of players who have continued competing while masked, most notably Nigeria’s star striker Victor Osimhen, whose black protective mask has become one of football’s most recognisable accessories since a serious facial injury suffered during his time at Napoli.
Spence sustained the injury in a collision with Chelsea forward Liam Delap last month but remains determined to play a full part in England’s World Cup campaign.
“It’s a little bit uncomfortable, but it is what it is,” Spence told reporters on Monday.
“I’ve got a broken jaw, so I have to wear it throughout the tournament. It’s something I will have to get used to. It’ll be three months until it’s fully healed, so it’s a long time.”
Like Osimhen, who returned to action wearing a mask after undergoing surgery for multiple facial fractures in 2021, Spence has shown little inclination to let the injury interrupt his football.
The defender even completed the match in which the injury occurred and later featured in Tottenham’s final league game against Everton while wearing the protective gear.
“It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw. So I was all good,” Spence added.
Osimhen’s mask has become synonymous with resilience and determination. Since adopting it, the Nigerian international has gone on to establish himself among Europe’s most feared strikers, helping Napoli win the Serie A title and becoming a symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Spence now hopes the mask will similarly prove no obstacle as England pursue World Cup glory in North America.
England begin their campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 before facing Ghana and Panama in the remaining Group D fixtures.
While Spence’s protective gear may not yet be as iconic as Osimhen’s, the England defender will be hoping it brings the same good fortune that has accompanied the Nigerian striker’s remarkable rise over the past few years.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Nigeria’s Olympic Foes Arrive After Incredible 30-0 Aggregate Rout of Sudan
Akwa Ibom Celebrates Taekwondo Gold Medallist Udobong After National Open Trials Triumph
Iranian World Cup players will be able to enter US the day before matches, DHS says
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- World Cup1 week ago
Attack-minded Ivorians bullish ahead of World Cup return
- World Cup6 days ago
Rema, Davido, Burna Boy and Ayra Starr Make FIFA’s Star-Studded World Cup 2026 Official Album
- World Cup5 days ago
FIFA bans vuvuzelas from World Cup stadiums
- World Cup5 days ago
Shakira to Headline FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony in Mexico
- International Football2 days ago
Eriksen Suffers Fresh Collapse During Denmark Friendly, Reviving Memories of Euro 2020 Ordeal
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Soname Rewards Flamingos with N4.5m Goal Bonus After Guinea Rout
- World Cup1 week ago
Behold! Nigeria’s Gift to the World Cup: 11 Stars, No Super Eagles
- World Cup3 days ago
Pelé’s 1970 World Cup Hideaway Becomes Tourist Attraction as Mexico Hosts Tournament for Record Third Time