Ventura’s days look numbered after Azzurri ‘apocalypse’

Giampiero Ventura is set to learn his fate as Italy coach in the next 24 hours after the Azzurri failed to reach the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio has called a meeting to discuss the country’s failure to qualify for next year’s tournament in Russia.

Gianluigi Buffon was one of several star names to call time on their international careers, bringing the curtain down on his175-capstintaftermonday’s goalless draw with Sweden in Milan, which saw them lose their qualifying play-off 1-0.

It is the first time since 1958 that Italy have not qualified for a World Cup and the fallout has reverberated around the game, with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport hailing the arrival of the “apocalypse”.

Tavecchio said: “We are deeply bitter and disappointed for the failure to qualify for the World Cup, it is a sports failure that needs a shared solution and for this reason I called a meeting tomorrow with all the federal components to conduct a thorough analysis and decide on future choices.”

The 69-year-old Ventura, who is under contract until 2020, apologised after the match, but stopped short of resigning. He said in a postmatch press conference which he arrived at well over an hour after full-time: “At this moment I can only apologise to the Italians, not for the will or effort but for the result which as I know is the main thing.

“I arrived late [for the press conference] because I wanted to say goodbye to the players one by one. Have I resigned? No, because I haven’t even spoken with the [Italian Football Federation] president.”