To not qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row is a great Italian tragedy. But Italy was forewarned. The decay set in long ago. Scandals, bankruptcies and mafia involvement had crippled the Serie A for much of the century; the league lost its lustre, and the high standards it once practised; it no longer attracts the best footballers in the world; it has lost its European primacy. The production line of stalwart footballers has stopped. There is no one of the quality of Roberto Baggio or Paolo Maldini.

The rise and fall of a footballing empire has seldom been so stark. To be sure, a team ranked 12th in the world cannot be dismal, but qualifying for the World Cup has become a psychological scar. There is no papering over the abjectness of their defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was made of a wicked deflection in the playoff against Sweden before 2018; two spilled penalties by their dead-ball specialist and an injury time goal that crashed their 2022 dreams; a red card, a miss and an unusually nervous penalty shootout.

But all is not dark for Italian football. Its footballing heritage and passion are too deeply entrenched to be lost forever. The country continues to shape high-class managers and influence novel tactics. The best footballers have started getting the taste of tougher leagues. The sport is such a national obsession that administrators and officials will intensify measures to revive the sport. The World Cup will miss Italy, but it is perhaps for Italian football’s benefit that they did not qualify. Italy can now work towards a football renaissance.