Milan, April 3 -- The head of Italy's football federation (FIGC) resigned on Thursday, after the men's national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Gabriele Gravina revealed he would step down as the country's top football official following a meeting held at the FIGC's headquarters in Rome on Thursday. His announcement came a day after Sport Minister Andrea Abodi called on him to resign. Four-time World Cup winners Italy fell at the play-offs again on Tuesday, this time after a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will miss this summer's finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The shock waves of the latest humiliation for one of the world's most successful football nations forced Gravina, 72, to go back on his initial plans to wait until a FIGC board meeting next week to announce a decision on his future. Head coach of the team and former player Gennaro Gattuso is expected to also step down, while general manager Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy goalkeeper, announced his resignation on Thursday....