Italy’s disastrous World Cup play-off defeat is the latest reminder that Italian football needs an overhaul, but history proves that it’s not a simple task, as Roberto Baggio once found out.

The Azzurri have been on a downward spiral since lifting the World Cup in 2006, with their only redeeming results coming in European Championships. In both 2010 and 2014 they exited football’s biggest tournament in the group stages but significant change did not come, despite the fact that the FIGC had a golden opportunity years prior.

In 2010, following Italy’s disastrous performances in South Africa, Baggio was appointed as the President of the Technical Sector of the FIGC. He immediately set to work attempting to discover and solve the issues plaguing Italian football, and this resulted in a 900-page report identifying and providing solutions for various problems, which was presented in 2011.

Baggio’s report was completely ignored by the FIGC, who took no action and gave minimal response. This led to the Divine Ponytail resigning from his position in January 2013, where he stated that “I haven’t been allowed to fulfil the role I was given, I’m not willing to move on. My 900-page report, presented in November 2011, remained a dead letter, and I draw the consequences.”

Then-president of the FIGC Giancarlo Abete was not impressed with this reaction, feeling “Roberto Baggio is a person of great quality, as a man and as a figure. But he did not feel that this managerial role was his, it did not reward him.

“I am not surprised by his announcement. He had warned me. Because of his international commitments and because he did not feel rewarded, he never had the chance to dedicate much time to his activity.”

It’s impossible to know whether or not Baggio’s report would’ve made a signifiant difference had it been given the attention it so desperately deserved, but it’s clear that Italian football does need changes, and winning Euro 2020 hasn’t changed that fact.

13 thought on “When Baggio’s attempts to overhaul Italian football were ignored”
  1. I remember this clearly.

    He resigned from the post saying they just hired him as a PR stunt to smooth over the South African disaster.

    They did not know Roby took his appointment seriously and actually put his Recommendations to paper. 900 pages worth as Im reading here.

    It’s a shame Roberto Baggio is stained for missing the PK in 1994 but he is a hero to Italian football.

  2. I think even a toddler could tell that Italy biggest weakness is on the frontline. Gone are the days of Italy being spoilt for choice of strikers. None of Italian strikers are playing on the top 5 teams in italy, which is very weird, considering usually Juve/Milan/Inter/Roma are constantly supplying us with the likes of ADP, Pippo, Vieri, Totti, etc. Now Italy’s front lines consist of players who (with all due respect) are from mid tier teams, who aren’t accustomed to big games and huge pressure.

  3. Im sorry but Italian football is not that bad, people forget the Euro win, there were a few missed opportunities during the group matches and thats what made the difference.

  4. Italian football while it has its problems starts in Serie A where only 30% of the league is Italian. The club teams don’t have any alligence to the Azzurri. Plus let’s not act like having 5 injured starters and 9 total players injured didn’t make a difference.

  5. Mancini has done a fantastic job and everyone around him should encourage him to stay. Yes, I agree with comments that he was too loyal to the players from Euro 20. However, we are not a bad side. He has produced a super team spirit, set a world record of 37 games without a defeat. I think he is the best man to carry us forward. He needs to think 4 years time use the Nations League & Euro 24 qualifiers as preparation for the WC 2026. It is hard to believe for 2 decades we had an incredible choice of strikers. Personally, his one mistake was not to gamble with Balotelli. Just to bring him on with 30 minutes to go. He might be disruptive, however, he is a big game player.

  6. Italians should try in other leagues too. Great teams like Brazil, Germany, France have majority of their players playing in different leagues. More diverse the adventure of players, more open-minded they will be hence more ambitious they will become. Also having large number of Italians in UCL from other leagues’ club will enrich their experience.

  7. Italians are afraid to go abroad and test them self. While the spanish players you fine almost in all top leaques in europe.

  8. Can we not have a bullet point list of what he proposed. Article tells me nothing about his solutions.

    I don’t want a he said, he said article

  9. Everyone here makes excellent points! I would like to add, if I may, perhaps from now until the next World Cup that Mancini should integrate some of the U-20 and U-21 players with the current young crop. We need to be brave and give the younger players a chance, similar to what Spain and France do. You never know, he might find a few key pieces for now and the future. Either way, Forza Azzurri!! Let’s go and defend our title in Euro 2024!

  10. The national team set a world record when going unbeaten, won the Euros by comprehensively being very good from first game to last and it has failed to qualify for not converting penalties in games vs the Swiss in which Italy were the superior side. Mancini should definitely keep his job!

  11. Italian players don’t play abroad because they are not good enough – unlike Spain, France, Belgium etc. these countries develop talent – Italy ignores it. The likes of Baggio, del Piero, totti, Maldini – will not be seen again under the current system. Italy is now a third tier football nation. No longer a big football country.

  12. You want to know where all this is coming from? The misery, the failed qualification? Look at the twitter account of Carlo Gargnese who proves it with cold hard facts. Solid data and numbers. Numbers that include playing minutes, transfer money’s spent, etc. Then how it’s compared to how the other Bigs in Europe do it.

    This is a sobering to see that Italian youth are being discarded. This is not something that I am inventing. The numbers don’t lie. We won Euro 2020 despite the handicaps, which I’ve written on here before.

    I do not work for him or am him or am peddling his social media. Just directing fans to cold hard facts.

  13. @Ric

    At least you have some common sense.

    The broader picture is that Mancini has done very well. He should stay. It’s Serie A that really needs sorting out.

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