Coach Gattuso not interested in talking about his future after Italy miss out on World Cup again

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said it is not the time to talk about his future despite the Azzurri failing to qualify for a third straight World Cup.

Even if Gattuso hasn’t made up his mind whether to stay or not, the Italian soccer federation gave a clear sign it would like him to remain on Tuesday.

Four-time World Cup winner Italy lost a penalty shootout at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs on Tuesday, after playing most of the match with 10 men.

“I’m not interested at all in talking about my future today,” Gattuso said. “It hurts, it really hurts. More than hurting me, it hurts to see this group which has really given everything in these months and I think we deserved to get back what we put in and I honestly think it’s too reductive and too immature to be talking about my future today.

“Here we should be talking about Italy, about the national team shirt, that it’s yet another blow even though this time we didn’t deserve it. We deserved more and that’s why my future doesn’t matter.”

Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.

Gattuso was hired last June to replace the fired Luciano Spalletti, with Italy’s World Cup qualifying hopes already flagging again.

He was given a contract until the end of this summer’s World Cup, with an automatic renewal until 2028 if Italy reached the tournament in North America.

“I have to praise Gattuso. I think he’s been a great coach, he is a great coach, I’ve asked him to stay on in charge of these players,” Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said.

However, whether Gravina himself should remain is also up for debate and he said he has already called for a federation council meeting next week to evaluate matters.

Gravina has overseen two sets of disappointing World Cup qualifiers after taking charge in 2018. He replaced Carlo Tavecchio, who quit after Italy failed to reach the 2018 World Cup.

There had already been calls for Gravina's resignation but some fans see the problem as running even deeper.

“I feel really bad, the system is rotten, the football system in Italy is rotten. Like, it’s not possible. A country which is made for football and lives for football and now, like, everything is rotten,” said 30-year-old Federico Barbieri, outside a bar in Rome.

“We knew that the team has its limits but ... not going to the World Cup three times in a row? Sweden, North Macedonia and Bosnia. What else can I say?”

Not every Italy coach has paid for the Azzurri’s failure to reach the World Cup.

Gian Piero Ventura was fired after Italy lost to Sweden but his replacement, Roberto Mancini, kept his job despite Italy’s shock loss to North Macedonia in 2022.

That came just eight months after Mancini led the team to the European Championship title and the federation decided to stick with the coach who revitalized the national team.

Mancini surprisingly resigned just over a year later — going on to become Saudi Arabia coach two weeks later — and was replaced by Spalletti.

But Spalletti, who oversaw a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, got just one World Cup qualifier in charge before he was fired, with Gattuso coming in.

Tuesday's defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team, which won the World Cup four times.

“I grew up with an Italy that always came in the top four at the World Cup," said 56-year-old building contractor Roberto Silvi. "I’ve seen Italy as world champion twice, and close another couple times.

"I took Italy’s qualifications for granted and now it seems like a nightmare to me. I don’t even believe it. The Italy that misses a World Cup is outside of the world. The Italy that misses three, if they had told me, I never would have believed it.”

AP's David Biller contributed from Rome.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Italy's Pio Esposito reacts after missing a penalty kick during a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Italy players react during a penalty shootout during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures from the touchline during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Italy's Marco Palestra, left, and Leonardo Spinazzola console each other after losing a penalty shootout during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso walks off the pitch after losing in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Army pilots who hovered two helicopters near Kid Rock’s Tennessee home during a training run while he clapped and saluted have had their suspension lifted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday.

“No punishment. No Investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth said in a social media post. The Pentagon didn't immediately respond for comment.

Earlier, a U.S. Army spokesperson said the crews of the two AH-64 Apache helicopters were suspended from flying, pending an investigation into their actions. The suspension was a discretionary — but not unusual — step when an investigation is underway, Maj. Montrell Russell said.

“The Army has confirmed that on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention,” according to a statement from the Army on Tuesday. The Army said it would review whether the flight complied with FAA regulations and aviation safety protocol.

Kid Rock, who is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, told WKRN-TV on Monday that it's not uncommon for helicopters from nearby Fort Campbell to fly near his home. He said he is a big supporter of the military and he's performed for troops overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.

“I think they know this is a pretty friendly spot,” he said. He noted that last Thanksgiving he was at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army base on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, with Vice President JD Vance. “I've talked to some of these pilots. I've told them, ‘You guys see me waving when you come by the house?' I’m like, ‘You guys are always welcome to cruise by my house, any time,’” he said.

Kid Rock posted two short videos on social media Saturday. Each shows a helicopter hovering alongside his swimming pool while the entertainer claps, salutes and raises his fist in the air. One post included a caption by Kid Rock disparaging Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic.

Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump suggested maybe the crews shouldn’t have done it before adding, “I like Kid Rock, maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.”

In the videos, Kid Rock stands next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty and a sign by the pool that reads, “The Southern White House.” His home on a hill overlooking Nashville was built to resemble the White House.

The helicopters were on a training mission when they stopped by Kid Rock's house, said Maj. Jonathon Bless, public affairs officer for the 101st Airborne Division. The helicopters also flew over a “No Kings” protest against Trump in downtown Nashville, but Bless said their presence had nothing to do with the protest.

Kid Rock said he thought it was “really cool” that they stopped to hover at his house.

“If it makes their day a little brighter for their service to our country, protecting us, I think that’s a great thing," he said.

Asked about possible repercussions for the crews, he said, “I think they’re going to be all right. My buddy’s the commander in chief.”

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Associated Press reporters Collin Binkley in Washington and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this story.

FILE - A military helicopter flies over a No Kings protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

FILE - Kid Rock comes on stage to speak and introduce Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Fort Campbell, Ky., Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)