Italian Football Federation Publishes Report Documenting Calcio Crisis

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and its former president, Gabriele Gravina, have published a detailed report outlining the current state of football in the country. The document contains objective data reflecting the alarming situation currently facing Italian football, known as Calcio. This initiative follows the report's original preparation for submission to the Italian government after the national team's third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup finals. However, the scheduled meeting to present these findings was cancelled due to Gravina's resignation from his post.

The report revealed figures indicating a decline in reliance on local talent, with foreign players constituting 67.9% of the Italian football system. This percentage highlights the challenges in developing national players. Furthermore, the data showed that players under 21 years old receive only 1.9% of the total playing minutes, pointing to a significant gap in the process of promoting youth to the first team and ensuring consistent competitive participation.

The report also clarified technical aspects related to performance levels in Italy's top flight, Serie A, noting that the league recorded the lowest dribbling rate among Europe's top five leagues. Commenting on these findings, former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina stated that things appear "as if Italian football's problems have been solved immediately," referring to the persistence of deep structural crises despite recent changes in the federation's administrative hierarchy.

It is worth noting that Gravina was re-elected as president of the federation in 2025 with 98.68% of the votes before deciding to leave his position. Italian sport faces increasing pressure for reform following repeated failures to qualify for the World Cup. This has led Italian authorities to demand a roadmap based on the numerical facts contained in the latest report to overcome the current phase.