This Wednesday (01) in Italy presents a scenario with important repercussions in sports and foreign policy.
The Italian national team failed in its attempt to qualify for the World Cup. For the third consecutive time. The defeat occurred in a penalty shootout against Bosnia-Herzegovina, in a playoff match held on Tuesday, March 31.
With this result, the four-time world champions will not participate in the tournament to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Italy had already missed the 2018 and 2022 editions. Coach Gennaro Gattuso stated that he was proud of the performance and commitment shown by the players during the match.
Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, confirmed that he has requested Gattuso remain in his position. Gravina also stated that he does not intend to resign as president of the organization after the elimination.
Government denies use of base to the US.
The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni refused authorization for US aircraft to use the Sigonella airbase. The planes were en route to a combat mission in the Middle East. Sources from the Ministry of Defense reported that the refusal was due to bureaucratic and legal issues.
Current agreements allow the use of Italian bases by the American military only for logistical purposes. Combat missions require government authorization and parliamentary approval. As the aircraft were already in flight, there was not enough time for the necessary parliamentary consultation.
Investigation at San Siro stadium
The sale of the San Siro stadium by the Milan city council to Inter Milan and AC Milan is under investigation. Italian financial police are investigating suspected bid-rigging in the process of selling the property and land.
Nine people are under investigation, including former Inter CEO Alessandro Antonello and the general manager of the city of Milan, Christian Malangone. The investigation focuses on the approval of the sale of 28 hectares of public land for 197 million euros, which took place in September.
Inflation and energy prices
Inflation in Italy reached 1,7 percent in March. The rate was driven by rising energy prices resulting from the conflict in Iran. The preliminary data comes from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat).
The Italian government is maintaining the fuel tax reduction until April 7th. Representatives of the industrial sector claim that the measure has had a limited impact and are demanding further government action to contain costs.
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