Fabio Capello, the legendary coach of the Italian national team, confirmed that the team paid the price for the recklessness of one of its players in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to the team's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Capello said in statements to Sky Sports: "Unfortunately, we paid the price for a naive mistake by one of the players, otherwise we would have won." He praised Gattuso's efforts, who took over the team under difficult circumstances, noting that he restored the team's character and fighting spirit.

This came after Gianluigi Buffon, the former captain of Italy, officially submitted his resignation following the penalty shootout loss to Bosnia, after the match ended in a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time.

Buffon wrote on his official account: "Submitting my resignation after the end of the match was an action that came from deep within me, and the goal was to leave those who come after me the freedom to choose who will take the position."

He emphasized that he tried to rebuild the team with a spirit of teamwork and focused on developing young talents to ensure sustainable success in the future.

Buffon added: "Representing the national team has been a great honor since childhood, and I will always be grateful for all the lessons I learned during this intense experience, even at its painful end."

Thus, Italy concludes a challenging chapter in its football history, after missing out on the upcoming World Cup finals, amid hopes of rebuilding the team under new leadership.