Italy fires manager Ventura after World Cup qualifying failure

The Italian Football Federation confirmed Wednesday the firing of manager Gian Piero Ventura after a meeting in Rome with FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio.

The decision comes after the 69-year-old's failure to guide Italy to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification due to a 1-0 aggregate loss to Sweden over two legs.

The Azzurri have missed out on football's biggest stage for the first time since 1958. The four-time world champion finished second to Spain in UEFA's qualifying group stage, then failed to get past Sweden in the subsequent play-off round.

The unsuccessful campaign sees Italy's veterans Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi, and Andrea Barzagli step away from the international game without a chance at one final bow. However, the Azzurri still posted a strong winning record in his two-year tenure, losing just two competitive matches.

Still, under the former Torino boss, Italy did not adequately utilise all of its available resources, with Ventura coming under fire for his personnel decisions - including limiting Napoli ace Lorenzo Insigne to the bench against Sweden at the San Siro.

Ventura had recently signed a contract extension through to June 2020 but the search is now on for a new man to take the helm of the Italian national team. Beloved manager Carlo Ancelotti is currently without a job and has been linked with the post.