Italy: Azzurri’s World Cup failure sparks immediate calls to repeal betting ad ban

(AsiaGameHub) –   There are growing calls for the Italian government to immediately scrap the 2018 Dignity Decree, as political repercussions mount in the wake of the Azzurri’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup.

Italy’s shock defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which confirmed the country will miss the 2026 tournament hosted across the US, Mexico and Canada, has sparked an unsurprising full-blown blame game within the halls of both chambers of Rome’s parliament.

The crisis has been labelled a “Terza Apocalisse” (‘Third Apocalypse’) by La Gazzetta dello Sport, while Corriere dello Sport ran a blunt front page that simply read “Tutti a Casa” — meaning “Everyone go Home” — that perfectly captured the widespread public despair.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took immediate action, ordering a formal inquiry into the current state of Italian football, its governance structures and funding arrangements.

Unsurprisingly, the brunt of the backlash has fallen directly on the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which has faced instant criticism from both political circles and the media.

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina resigned on 2 April 2026 amid mounting pressure from Sports Minister Andrea Abodi and Meloni, both of whom had demanded a sweeping overhaul of the federation and its senior leadership ranks.

The wave of departures continued as Azzurri legend Gianluigi Buffon, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, stepped down from his post as Delegation Head, describing his choice as an “act of responsibility after failing to secure Italy’s return to the World Cup”.

National team head coach Gennaro Gattuso followed suit on 3 April, resigning with a “heavy heart” amid fierce criticism of his tactical approach, with commentators describing his tenure as “reductive and lacking leadership during decisive moments”.

Yet the FIGC cannot be held solely responsible for the failure. Italian policymakers are acutely aware that the country’s national sport faces a structural funding deficit that has gone unaddressed for more than a decade.

Warning signs of the crisis have been visible throughout 2026, as no Serie A clubs managed to progress beyond the opening knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, frequently outperformed by rival European sides (take Inter Milan’s 3-1 loss to Bodø/Glimt, for example!).

While Gravina’s resignation was widely expected, he used his final remarks to hit out at the government’s inaction on improving the state of domestic football. The outgoing president reiterated that he had previously submitted proposals aimed at restoring the financial sustainability of Italian football — with the repeal of the Dignity Decree top of the list.

A core component of his reform package was the introduction of a “right to bet” proposal, under which a percentage of all football-linked gambling revenues would be redistributed back into the sport.

Gravina argued that such a framework, which aligns with European regulatory principles, would provide ring-fenced funding for infrastructure development, youth academies, and other initiatives that have already been rolled out by countries once considered football minnows compared to Italy.

Decree must die

The first priority should be the immediate removal of Italy’s blanket ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship. Gravina is adamant that the Dignity Decree has been “proven largely ineffective” at reducing gambling-related harm.

Instead, he warned, the policy has stripped Italian clubs of critical commercial revenues, leaving them at a significant competitive disadvantage compared to their European counterparts, where betting brands remain leading sponsors for top teams.

The Dignity Decree has remained controversial ever since its introduction under former State Secretary Luigi Di Maio. Originally drafted to regulate temporary labour contracts, the legislation was later expanded to impose a full ban on all gambling advertising and sponsorship arrangements.

Critics across Italian media and football governance bodies maintain that the decree has failed to meet its primary objective, and has instead inflicted major economic damage, with estimates suggesting Italian football has lost up to €1bn in advertising revenues since the rule came into force.

Gravina had been scheduled to present these proposals to the Chamber of Deputies’ Culture Committee as part of a wider report on the overall health of Italian football.

However, the hearing was cancelled following his resignation, leaving the future of his proposed reforms uncertain.

All eyes on Abodi

Sports Minister Andrea Abodi is now facing significant pressure, as Italy’s string of football failures and the political urgency to fix the ailing national sport have accelerated his policy agenda.

At the end of 2025, Abodi confirmed that discussions had already begun around repealing the 2018 Dignity Decree. He has since been tasked with drafting a new bill to overturn the existing legislation and establish a regulated framework for gambling advertising and sports sponsorships.

Initial plans indicate that any revised framework will lock in dedicated funding streams for Italian football, with targeted investment going towards stadium infrastructure, the women’s game, and the renovation of public sporting venues.

The bill will require coordination with Maurizio Leo, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, and both ministries are expected to consult with Serie A leadership, including league president Ezio Simonelli, during the drafting process.

Progress has been slow, however. The government’s legislative timetable has been complicated by the rollout of Italy’s new online gambling licensing regime, while a broader reorganisation of land-based gambling regulations is expected to be published in April.

As is so often the case in Italy, football and politics are deeply intertwined. The Meloni government must now confront not only a sporting crisis, but also its economic consequences, with estimates suggesting the World Cup absence could cost the national economy around €2bn.

As one observer noted to SBC, experiencing Italy’s third consecutive World Cup qualification failure is the equivalent of being forced to relive the sinking of the Titanic… a trauma that will never fade.

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