National Depression: Italy Fails to Qualify for the World Cup

Italians, who consider participating in the World Cup finals a birthright, have fallen into a state of national 'depression' following the team's defeat against Sweden on Monday night. This is the first time in 60 years that Italy will not attend the World Cup. According to Reuters, Italian newspapers reflected this defeat with terms like 'disaster,' 'nightmare,' and 'humiliation' on their front pages. Italy has participated in the last 14 World Cups, winning the championship four times and finishing as runners-up twice. The team stood on the world championship podium in 2006 and 1982, as well as in two consecutive World Cups in 1934 and 1938. In terms of victories and points, the Italian team is among the most successful national football teams in the world, alongside Brazil, which has won the World Cup five times. However, this year, Italy is the only former world champion that failed to qualify for the main competition of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Every four years, all Italians, regardless of which club they support, passionately support their national team and temporarily set aside club competitions. Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary goalkeeper and captain of the Italian national team, tearfully stated in an interview after the defeat against Sweden, 'We lost, and socially this could have been very important.' His statement points to the significance of the Italian national football team's victories and their impact on non-sporting areas. Some newspapers blame the coach and the president of the national football federation. However, some fans believe this defeat reflects broader issues. Reuters reminds us that Italy is slowly emerging from an economic recession, but most people say there are no signs of improvement in the economic situation for ordinary citizens. Wage levels have remained stagnant for several years, and unemployment is around 11%. In the political arena, polls conducted by the opposition indicate that the results of the parliamentary elections next May will lead to a deadlock in the distribution of votes among various parties. Italian governments hoped that sports victories, especially in football, could boost the morale of the people and positively influence the political atmosphere in the country. Some Italian newspapers have acknowledged that the current national team is weaker compared to past teams, and even if they had qualified for the World Cup, significant progress was unlikely. Italy lost the first leg of the playoff against Sweden, held last week in Stockholm, by a score of 1-0. On Monday night, Italy could not compensate for this defeat even on home ground, and the match ended in a draw. As a result, Sweden advanced to the World Cup with an aggregate score of 1-0.