Italy players demanded World Cup qualification bonus before Bosnia loss

Martin Macdonald

• 4 Apr 2026 20:08 BST
• 3 min read

News

The Italy squad reportedly demanded a World Cup qualification bonus of €10,000 per player BEFORE losing their playoff final against Bosnia and Herzegovina this week.

After a disappointing qualification campaign that saw them finish six points behind group winners Norway in Group I, the Azzurri had to navigate the World Cup playoffs.

In their first match, they cruised through with relative comfort after a 2-0 win against Northern Ireland, with Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean scoring the goals.

That night, footage emerged of the squad celebrating the fact that they had drawn against Bosnia & Herzegovina, a supposed weaker opponent.

That was all the motivation the Bosnia & Herzegovina players needed as they eventually won the tie on penalties and progressed to the World Cup.

Italy took the lead through Kean but things turned sour for Gennaro Gattuso's men after Alessandro Bastoni was given a straight red card for a last-man foul.

Haris Tabakovic scored the equaliser, which gave the platform for the hosts to go on and win.

“It hurts, because we needed it for us, for all of Italy and for our movement. A blow that's difficult to digest,” Gattuso lamented after the game.

The fallout has been harshly felt in Italy, and the latest report from La Repubblica won't go down well with the Azzurri fans as the outlet says the squad demanded a €300,000 World Cup qualification bonus despite going on to lose the playoff.

Gattuso steps down

On Friday, it was confirmed that Gattuso had stepped down as Italy head coach following the World Cup failure.

“With a heavy heart, ­having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over,” he said

“The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to lead the national team and to do so with a group of lads who have shown commitment and loyalty to the shirt.”

The former Rangers and Milan midfielder took over Italy in the middle of the World Cup qualification campaign when it was already in disarray under Luciano Spalletti.

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