Lazio President Lotito Launches Senate Petition for Gravina's Resignation

Claudio Lotito, president of Lazio, has initiated a petition within the Italian Senate urging the resignation of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. This significant move comes in the wake of Italy's stunning defeat to Bosnia on penalties in the World Cup playoff final, which saw them fail to qualify for the tournament.

Lotito, who also serves as a Forza Italia senator, is leveraging his political influence to intensify pressure on Gravina. Despite supervising Italy's third successive failure to qualify for the World Cup, Gravina has not yet signaled any intention to step down.

In Zenica, Italy played to a 1-1 draw within 90 minutes. Their challenge was compounded by Alessandro Bastoni's first-half red card, leaving the Azzurri with ten players for most of the game. After a goalless extra time period, the match proceeded to penalties, where Italy ultimately faced elimination.

Gravina Under Immense Pressure to Resign

The political pressure on Gravina has become substantial. The Sports Minister has already publicly demanded his resignation. In response, the FIGC president has scheduled an emergency meeting for tomorrow afternoon in Rome, involving representatives from various football leagues (Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, amateur leagues) and associations (coaches' and players'). This meeting aims to evaluate the situation before a full Federal Council meeting next week.

Public sentiment outside the FIGC headquarters has grown hostile, evidenced by protesters throwing eggs at the building after the recent match outcome.

Gravina, despite his relatively recent unopposed re-election — even after Italy's two prior World Cup absences — now confronts the most significant crisis of his leadership. With Lotito actively mobilizing political opposition from within the Senate, the demands for his departure are becoming increasingly forceful and challenging to dismiss.