Liam Duckstein
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Donnarumma Refutes Bonus Demands Claims Surrounding Italy’s World Cup Qualification Failure
Gianluigi Donnarumma addressed reports claiming Italy’s national team players had demanded bonuses for World Cup qualification, stating he felt hurt by the allegations. The goalkeeper, serving as captain, categorically denied the squad made financial demands to the federation.
“As captain, I never went to ask the Italian national team for a single euro,” Donnarumma told Sky Sports Italia. “What the national team does, as always, in every competition, is give a gift to the players who qualify for a tournament. That was all there was to it, but nobody asked the federation for anything; our reward was getting to go to the World Cup.”
Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, fell short of qualification after losing 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final last month. This marks the third consecutive World Cup the Azzurri have failed to reach, representing an unprecedented crisis for the Italian Football Federation.
Leadership Overhaul Following Qualification Failure
The elimination triggered significant organizational changes. Federation President Gabriele Gravina resigned following political pressure, former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stepped down as delegation chief, and Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso departed his position.
“We have to start afresh, move on,” Donnarumma, 27, said. “We have to bounce back; there are four years until the next World Cup, and in the meantime there are major competitions like the European Championship and the Nations League. Before thinking about the World Cup, we need to focus on these big tournaments in between and we need to start again strongly straight away.”
The June 11 to July 19 tournament in North America will proceed without Italian participation, ending hopes for redemption on the world’s largest sporting stage.