Leonardo Bonucci has slammed the World Cup qualifying system as “absurd” and claimed it is “madness” that Italy will not be in Qatar for the tournament later this year.
Italy were beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia in the play-off semi-final last week, just eight months on from becoming European champions. Roberto Mancini’s side will arguably be the biggest team missing from the 2022 World Cup after qualifying was completed on Tuesday night.
Portugal avoided Italy’s fate by beating North Macedonia 2-0 thanks to two goals from Bruno Fernandes in the play-off final in Porto. Meanwhile, Poland overcame Sweden 2-0 to qualify for the tournament from the other European play-off. Senegal beat Egypt in a penalty shoot-out marred by lasers from the crowd, while Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco and Cameroon also secured qualification from Africa.
Italy feel particularly hard done by from the process after finishing their eight-match Group C campaign unbeaten. But four draws proved costly for Mancini’s side, who finished second, two points behind Switzerland – who they drew both games against – and were therefore forced to go into the play-off system.
“We played it all in a one-off match, it’s an absurd system,” Bonucci said. “Unfortunately, that’s the way it went, but it’s a crazy decision. You have to play a single game in which anything can happen as we have seen.
“There are teams that qualified after losing four or five games, we are at home after losing only one in the 92nd minute. It is truly madness. Clearly the regulation is not an alibi or an excuse, we certainly had to do better. But from here we have to take inspiration to find the way back to where we were. There were many reflections. Certainly after Euro 2020 we got a bit lost. This compromised our path to the World Cup.”
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Italy have now failed to even qualify for the last two World Cups, while they exited in the group stages in 2010 and 2014 after winning the trophy in 2006. Veteran defender Bonucci has seen it all during 115 caps for Italy, but admitted that defeat by North Macedonia was a low point in his international career. “The 48 hours after the elimination were really hard, we found ourselves with our mouths closed and in silence at lunch and in the changing rooms,” the 34-year-old said.
“We tried to play it down with the younger players, saying that they will have other opportunities, then Mancini spoke and we reconnected to the present and the future. We have to start again to rebuild, the bases to make a great ascent are there.”
The result was clearly hard to take, because Italy made headlines for all the wrong reasons for leaving their changing room in a mess in Palermo last week. Pictures showed cigarette butts, plastic bottles, used tissues and food waste scattered around the changing and prompted a grovelling apology from Bonucci .
"It was a big mistake. Next time, we'll pay more attention,” he said. "We were very disappointed and we didn't think that these details make the difference sometimes. We'll pay more attention in the next matches, we apologise."
