Italian soccer federation president resigns

ROME, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Carlo Tavecchio, president of the Italian football federation, has resigned a week after the Italian national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

The resignation on Monday came following calls for a complete overhaul of the nation's most popular sport from the amateur leagues to Serie A and the national teams.

Sweden's win over Italy in the playoff barred the four-time champions out of the World Cup for the first time in six decades.

Italian head coach Gian Piero Ventura was fired two days after the loss.

Tavecchio has resisted calls to step down in the past week but he eventually lost the support of the federation's board of directors.