Gian Piero Ventura denies he has quit after apologising to Italian fans
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ByEurosport
Updated 14/11/2017 at 07:11 GMT
Beleaguered Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura denied that he had resigned and apologised to his countrymen after his team's failure for the World Cup.
Head coach of Italy Gian Piero Ventura leave the field after losing 0-1 during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Play-Off: First Leg between Sweden and Italy at Friends Arena on November 10, 2017 in Solna, Sweden
Image credit: Getty Images
Speaking in the same monotone voice which has characterized his 18 months in charge, Ventura said he would not decide on his future before speaking to the Italian soccer federation (FIGC).
"I haven't resigned because I haven't yet spoken to the (FIGC) president (Carlo Tavecchio)," he told reporters after Italy were held goalless by Sweden and lost their European playoff 1-0 on aggregate to miss next year's Russia finals.
I absolutely apologise for the result but not for the effort we put in or our desire to win. It's a terrible result from a sporting point of view. I'm upset. I thank the San Siro crowd for supporting the team until the very end.
"I am proud to be part of the Blue team and to have worked with great champions,” added the 69-year-old.
"We knew about the goodbye of the veterans," he said, referring to several older players who will almost certainly not play for their country again, including keeper Gianluigi Buffon, 39, who immediately announced his international retirement.
"The target was the World Cup. We will confront the problem with the federation, I can't say any more than that at the moment."
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