Mud fight after resignation
Italy’s women’s team dismantled after World Cup embarrassment
8/4/2023 3:16 p.m
After the 2:3 defeat against South Africa and the embarrassing failure of the Italian women’s national soccer team in the World Cup preliminary round, Italy’s coach Milena Bertolini announces her departure. What follows is a very bitter mud fight.
After Italy missed out on the round of 16 at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, nerves are on edge in the Italian women’s soccer team: Coach Milena Bertolini, who announced her resignation after six years at the helm of the team, blamed her players for the embarrassment. “Against South Africa we were our true opponents,” Bertolini said of her team’s performance. The players reacted immediately. “We are convinced that if we had only been given the opportunity to do so, we could have achieved different results,” the players wrote in an open letter.
They criticized the trainer’s lack of confidence in their abilities. “The national team is made up of a block of 16 players from Juventus and AS Roma who have achieved a lot in the Champions League. We wonder why a national team made up of these players, reinforced with members from other important clubs and young talent, should change first at a European Championship and then at a World Cup,” said the players, who welcomed the coach’s farewell.
Bertolini had previously said about her lightning farewell: “Apart from the defeat, I hope to leave a legacy in women’s football in Italy,” said the 57-year-old. She deeply regretted the premature failure. “We worked hard to get through the preliminary round, but we didn’t succeed.” A man is now to replace Bertolini. According to the media, the most promising candidate for the coaching position is coach Carmine Gautieri, who could now usher in a new era for the women’s team.