'Unacceptable disagrace': Outrage & disbelief across Italy as World Cup nightmare goes on

[p][b]"The World Cup curse," said ‌the front page of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a]'s main daily Corriere della Sera, ‌calling for rebuilding in a country that has produced some of the ‌game's greatest players but has won only one match at the ‌finals since lifting the trophy for the fourth time in 2006.[/b][/p][p]Headlines in La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the country's two main sports newspapers, ‌both said "We're all staying at home", in ⁠reference to another summer without a ‌World Cup.[/p][p]Fans in Rome were left stunned after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/bosnia-herzegovina-fqe7WYTr/italy-hlKvieGH/?mid=2B8dzIX9"]Italy suffered a 4-1 ​penalty shootout loss[/a] to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia[/a] on Tuesday following a 1-1 draw, their third play-off defeat in a row after ​losing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/north-macedonia/GrTQ3oHB/"]North Macedonia[/a].[/p][p][b]"Everything went badly from the start of the match. The team wasn't good, players out of form ⁠coming in and playing (anyway)… ​it makes no sense. Honestly, I'm shocked,"[/b] said Davide Caldaretta, who watched the game at a city pub.[/p][p]The Azzurri last qualified for the World Cup finals in 2014, where Bosnia made their only previous appearance ‌at the tournament. The Balkan team will play in Group B this year with co-hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a].[/p][video alt="Italian fans vent after their national team fails to qualify for a third straight World Cup" credit-line="Reuters" guid="d685e117-1602-4dca-ade3-545a70b0d9c5" id="615cdcec-45ec-4b5a-afc7-0d5a137cfb7f" /][h2]National outrage[/h2][p]The defeat sparked outrage across the country, with political parties calling on Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina to resign.[/p][p][b]"It is an unacceptable disgrace. Italian football needs a complete overhaul, starting with the resignation of Gabriele Gravina,"[/b] the League Party, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition, wrote on Instagram.[/p][p]Gravina said an assessment of his position would ‌be made at a federal council meeting scheduled to take place ​next week.[/p][p]Italy went down to 10 men in the 42nd ‌minute with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bastoni-alessandro/On4TkPTN/"]Alessandro Bastoni[/a] punished for a late last-man tackle, a key turning point in the match with Italy leading at the time.[/p][p][b]"(We feel) really upset and disappointed. Even when you're let down you always hold out hope. And this is ⁠the third time in a ⁠row," [/b]said Melanie Cardillo.[/p]