1994 World Cup Hero Roberto Baggio Says It’s Crazy Italy Won’t Be at the World Cup, Wants Rules Changed

• Legendary Italian striker Roberto Baggio has described his country's absence from this year's World Cup as 'madness'
• Baggio, famous for missing the crucial penalty for Italy in the 1994 World Cup, wants FIFA to make changes to the rules governing World Cup qualification in order to accommodate winners of the Euros
• Recently, Italy's woes were worsened when the Azzurris were crashed by Argentina in the Finalissima title at Wembley

Former Juventus, AC Milan and Internazionale star Roberto Baggio wants FIFA to alter the rules concerning World Cup qualification after Italy missed out on the upcoming Mundial.

Italy, four-time winners of the World Cup, missed out on qualification to the biggest sporting festival on two successive occasions when stumbled to a shock play-off defeat to North Macedonia, earlier this year.

And according to Baggio, a star at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Italy's absence from this year's World Cup does not make sense and thus wants the world football governing body to change the rules for qualification.

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"The biggest shame is that Italy didn't go straight to Qatar having won the European Championship," said Baggio as quoted by MARCA.

"We should change the rules. It's scandalous, it seems crazy to me. Will these guys have earned a reward or not? If I had been in their place I don't really know how I would have reacted."

"It's the worst thing to accept because in a 90-minute match anything can happen, one thing goes wrong and you stay at home?"

Italy's sharp decline from winning the Euros in 2021 to failing to make the World Cup was compounded by a crashing defeat to Argentina in the Finalissima, a one-pff tie between the winners of the Copa America and the European Championship.

Italy crumble to humbling defeat at the hands of Argentina in Finalissima

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Argentina are the winners of La Finalissima.

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La Albiceleste beat Italy in the one-game at Wembley, thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Ángel Di María and Paulo Dybala.

The Argentinian side dominated the first half but ironically it was Italy who had the only attempts on goal in the first 20 minutes.