What changes did Baggio recommend in 900-page Italy report?
The contents of a 900-page report presented by the legendary Roberto Baggio have cropped up in conversations among supporters in the wake of Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. Here is what we know about the report and the changes that were recommended over 15 years ago.
Back in August 2010, Baggio was appointed as the head of the technical sector within the FIGC set-up and in December of 2011, presented a 900-page report that proposed a major overhaul of the federation’s training methods and its pathway for young talents.
Baggio resigned from his position in 2013, claiming that the recommendations that he brought forward had been completely ignored.
What was in Baggio’s 900-page Italy report?
As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Baggio had called for ‘adequate’ sporting facilities and wanted 100 different training centres to be operated by the FIGC.
Baggio also wanted to change the approach that the FIGC had to training coaches and managers. He wanted to focus on coaches who were well educated, preferably with degrees and with different professional experiences, not necessarily within football.
He also wanted to implement a permanent study group, made up of FIGC members and university researchers, that would have been in ‘constant contact’ with coaching and backroom staff.
Baggio also called for a vast improvement of data collection within the youth sector.
He wanted 100 different training centres in 100 different districts of Italy, with three FIGC coaches assigned to each one. His aim was to have 50,000 matches per year for young Italian talents to prove themselves.
Baggio also felt that there was too much attention being paid to tactical approach rather than technique, which is a topic that continues to come up in 2026.
These suggestions were completely ignored 15 years ago, but now, with a major overhaul of the FIGC and national team set-up expected, Italy might be wise to revisit some of the topics that Baggio addressed all the way back in 2011.