Leonardo Bonucci hits out at 'ABSURD' World Cup qualifying system

Bitter Leonardo Bonucci hits out at ‘ABSURD’ World Cup qualifying system and claims Italy’s omission from Qatar is ‘madness’… but admits that ‘we got a bit lost’ after Euro 2020 triumph over England

  • Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci thinks the World Cup qualification process is ‘absurd’
  • His side failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing 1-0 to North Macedonia 
  • Bonucci says Italy’s absence from the World Cup in Qatar is ‘absolute madness’ 
  • He thinks it’s crazy that each team’s World Cup future relies on singular results 

Leonardo Bonucci thinks the World Cup qualification process is ‘absurd’ and says Italy’s omission from the tournament in Qatar is ‘absolute madness’.   

Italy missed out on a second successive World Cup after losing 1-0 at home to North Macedonia in their play-off semi-final last week. 

It was Aleksandar Trajkovski’s 92nd minute goal that ended the Italian dream. The 29-year-old pounced on a loose ball in the middle of the park and fired it home from outside of the box.  

Leonardo Bonucci says he is not happy with the qualification process for the World Cup

North Macedonia beat Italy 1-0 in their play-off semi-final to prevent them from qualifying 

Bonucci said he is not using the ‘regulation’ as an excuse for failing to qualify for the tournament. But, he did hit out at the ‘crazy system’ for using a ‘single game’ to determine their international future.      

Speaking to The Mirror about Italy’s omission from the World Cup, Bonucci said: ‘We played it all in a one-off match, it’s an absurd system.

‘Unfortunately, that’s the way it went, but it’s a crazy decision. You have to play a single game in which anything can happen as we have seen.

Italy were visibly upset following Aleksandar Trajkovski’s 92nd minute goal last week

While North Macedonia fans erupted with delight as the ball touched the back of the net 

‘There are teams that qualified after losing four or five games, we are at home after losing only one in the 92nd minute. It is truly madness. 

‘Clearly the regulation is not an alibi or an excuse, we certainly had to do better. But from here we have to take inspiration to find the way back to where we were. 

‘There were many reflections. Certainly after Euro 2020 we got a bit lost. This compromised our path to the World Cup.’

Italy failed to qualify for the showpiece event just eight months after they were crowned as European champions.

Trajkovski was responsible for Italy’s heartbreak. His goal saw the North Macedonia bench erupt with joy, while the Italians dropped to their knees and held their heads in their hands. 

The result came just eight months after Italy beat England to win the Euro 2020 final

Marco Verratti previously described Italy’s omission from the World Cup as a ‘disaster’ 

Marco Verratti previously described the result as a ‘disaster’ and said he was struggling to ‘understand’ how Italy went from ‘hero to zero’ so quickly following that historic night at Wembley. 

Bonucci elaborated on Verratti’s comments by revealing the mood in the camp following their unexpected loss. The 34-year-old said his team-mates were ‘silent’ in the changing rooms. 

Bonucci said: ‘The 48 hours after the elimination were really hard, we found ourselves with our mouths closed and in silence at lunch and in the changing rooms.

‘We tried to play it down with the younger players, saying that they will have other opportunities, then Mancini spoke and we reconnected to the present and the future. We have to start again to rebuild, the bases to make a great ascent are there.’ 




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