News Focus
- Fulvio Collovati rejects calls for Italy to take Iran’s place at the 2026 World Cup
- The former defender labels such a move “humiliating” and politically motivated
- Italy have missed the last three World Cup tournaments
- The 1982 winner demands reforms in youth development across Serie A
Former Italy defender Fulvio Collovati has strongly criticised suggestions that the Azzurri should enter the 2026 World Cup by replacing Iran. The 1982 World Cup winner described such a prospect as “humiliating” for Italian football.
Italy will miss their third straight World Cup after failing to qualify once again. However, some reports claim the four-time champions could still travel to North America. These rumours follow recent statements from Paolo Zampolli about potential replacements.
Collovati believes these proposals come from political pressure rather than sporting reasons. He told Scommesse.io that he has never taken such ideas seriously. “In sport, what matters is the pitch and the result. You cannot arrive through shortcuts,” he said.
The former centre-back pointed to deeper problems within Italian football. He noted that missing three World Cups in a row is not bad luck. “It can happen once, even twice, but the third time means there are serious problems,” he explained.
Collovati traced this crisis back twenty years to 2006. He recalled that Italy also crashed out in the group stage during the two tournaments before this poor run began. The 67-year-old insisted that football authorities must focus on structural changes rather than seeking easy ways into competitions.
He called for major reforms in youth development. Collovati wants clubs to invest more in young players. He also demanded that Serie A teams actually give these youngsters playing time. “You can change all the people you want, but without reforms, nothing will change,” he warned.