SOCCER: Italy soccer federation chief resigns after World Cup failure

Italian soccer federation (Figc) chief Gabriele Gravina resigned on Thursday, after the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.

Gravina, in charge of the Figc since 2018, had been urged by the government to step down after Italy's defeat on penalties in the playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.

The federation will hold an extraordinary assembly on June 22 to elect a new chief, while Gravina offered to appear before a parliamentary committee on April 8 "to report on the state of health of Italian soccer", a statement said.

The Italian soccer team last qualified for the World Cup in 2014 and has won only one match at the finals since lifting the trophy for the fourth time in 2006.

"The Azzurri", as the national squad is known, was however the surprise winner of the Euro 2020 tournament, which was played in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

-Reporting by Roberto Mignucci and Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones/Reuters