Silvio Baldini used his first day as Italy’s interim coach on Friday to aim the blame far beyond the touchline, saying the country’s football decline is being driven by club directors who think first about themselves and the transfer market, not the game’s growth. He made the remarks while unveiling a squad built around 20 uncapped players ahead of friendlies against Luxembourg on June 3 and Greece on June 7.
Baldini’s message landed now because Italy is trying to move on after Gennaro Gattuso resigned following its failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, leaving the federation to rely on him only until a permanent appointment can be made. He said the problem is not with the federation but with clubs, arguing that younger players bring enthusiasm, rhythm and speed, while older signings tend to manage their efforts and attack less.
The 66-year-old coach was blunt about where he thinks the damage is done. Italian football, he said, is in the hands of directors who think about their own interests rather than the development of the sport. The aim, in his view, is to do well in the transfer market with older players instead of giving younger ones a chance, and he said some of those running the game are seen as cheats because they keep hold of the reins anyway.
He tied that criticism directly to the pipeline from youth football to the senior level. Baldini said youth teams have always done well, but the real problem begins when players have to make the jump to the first team. There is no advantage, he said, in signing a 39-year-old player instead of finding one in an academy, and without serious directors, the same problem will continue.
That leaves Italy in an awkward place: preparing for two friendlies with a squad heavy on inexperience while the broader debate over how to develop talent remains unresolved. A permanent head coach is not expected before the FIGC Presidential elections on June 22, so Baldini’s interim spell will run straight through a period in which the federation still does not know who will lead the team next.
For now, his first press conference has done more than introduce a squad. It has turned Italy’s next two matches into a test of young players and a public challenge to the club system that Baldini says has been holding the country back.
