After the unsuccessful World Cup matches, the coach of the Italian national team, Cesare Prandelli, announced at a press conference that he is resigning from his position.
In 2010, C. Prandelli began coaching the team and extended his contract until 2016 before the competition, but decided to resign when his team did not overcome the barrier of Group D in the world championship.
In the Group D match on Tuesday, Uruguay defeated Italy 1-0 after a controversial red card shown to Claudio Marchisio. The loss blocked Italy's path to the World Cup quarterfinals.
"I never wanted to hear that I am stealing the money of Italian taxpayers. A red card is not necessary in that situation, but it changed the whole course of the match. Together with my decision," C. Prandelli spoke about his resignation at a press conference after the match.
Giancarlo Abete, the president of the Italian Football Federation, said he would try to persuade C. Prandelli to change his decision.
"I will also hand in my resignation to the federation - I had decided to do so even before the championship. Yes, the coach wants to resign, but I promise to convene a meeting at the federation and hope that C. Prandelli will change his mind," G. Abete said.
Under the leadership of C. Prandelli, the Italian national football team reached the final of the 2012 European Football Championship, where they lost to the Spanish national team.
In last year's Confederations Cup tournament, Italy finished third.
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