Italian FA Head Backs Spalletti, Welcomes Innovations

Despite an underwhelming Euro 2024, Luciano Spalletti isn’t at risk of getting the ax even should Italy not fare well in the Nations League. Federal president Gabriele Gravina was clear on the matter in an interview with Radio 1 (via Mediaset).

“It’d be a strategic error to evaluate the quality of the coach based on some matches in a short amount of time. When we chose him, everybody was enthusiastic because we hired the best coach available on the market. I want to give him absolute trust after seeing how he works. He needs to have the right time to achieve results. We also have to consider that our pool is limited. For instance, it’s one/fourth of the Spanish one.”

Gravina is pushing for a pair of reforms.

“I’m against the transfer market being open after the leagues start because it negatively impacts the relationship between the fans, the team, and the players. I spoke with UEFA to find a systemic solution.”

Gravina also favors the introduction of coaching challenges.

“Everybody agrees with the principle that football needs to innovate without ruining its nature and also valorizing the errors, which lead to passionate discussions. It must become more palatable for the youngsters. We’re starting to experiment with some projects. This one would eliminate a series of polemics and incorrect and incoherent valuations by the referees. Moreover, the objectivity of the SOAT and the goal-line technology has to be maintained.”