Milan, 3 April (LaPresse) – A new president of the FIGC? “If they call me, I’m ready. I’m always ready. And I already have a plan to revitalise the sport.” So said Gianni Rivera, 82, former star of AC Milan and the national team, in an interview with *La Repubblica*. Have we hit rock bottom? “I’d say so. Italy missing out on the World Cup again is a disaster. I’ve read opinions and comments; even abroad, no one could believe it. The national team must be able to compete with Germany and Brazil. We’re that sort of team, not this one,” he adds. In his view, the national team has become “a side that no longer strikes fear into the hearts of football’s giants. We’ve lost something. Without getting too philosophical: the players aren’t as good as they used to be. Basic technique has declined. The coaches who train the children are also to blame.‘ On the subject of the revival programme, Rivera explains: ’I developed it together with my friend Adolfo Sormani, Angelo’s son. We want to start with the youngest: we need to focus on the technique of those just starting to play football. Concentrate on that. Then expand the facilities and get them on the pitch for as long as possible. I already had this project in the pipeline; I would have presented it even if Italy had won in Bosnia, perhaps testing it out with an amateur team.”