Source: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
[Saba Sports News] The European Championship has been quite shocking, with Italy, a traditional football powerhouse, unexpectedly being eliminated in the group stage. Following Italy’s elimination, former Juventus director Luciano Moggi expressed his opinion in a recent media interview, blaming Italian Football Association President Gabriele Gravina for failing to protect the interests of Italian football. Moggi stated, “The real culprit behind this European Championship failure is Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Association. Gravina failed to safeguard the interests of Italian football. It would be great if Gravina voluntarily resigned like Abate did.” After the 2014 World Cup, Italy failed to qualify for the Round of 16, leading to the resignations of Italian Football Federation President Abete and coach Prandelli. The editor shares the same sentiment, as even the teams in Serie A are now dominated by foreign players. With foreign players being cheaper than local ones, there seems to be no intention to nurture local talent due to excessive spending.