Teenage Ball Boy Becomes National Hero After Sabotaging Italy’s World Cup Hopes
Italy has suffered a devastating blow to its footballing prestige, failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup for the third consecutive tournament. In a dramatic turn of events, the “Azzurri” were eliminated by Bosnia-Herzegovina in a penalty shootout during the European play-off final on March 31, 2026, in a match now remembered for an unlikely act of sabotage by a 14-year-old ball boy.
The match was fraught with tension from the start, and Italy’s situation worsened in the 41st minute when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off, leaving the team to play with ten men for the remainder of the contest. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the match pushed through extra time and into a high-stakes penalty shootout.
While Italy looked to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to save them, a resourceful young ball boy named Afan Cizmic changed the course of the game. Cizmic, a striker for the NK Celik youth team, noticed that Donnarumma had hidden a “cheat sheet”—a note detailing the penalty-taking habits of the Bosnian players—underneath his towel. In a bold move, the 14-year-old managed to steal the notes, leaving the Italian keeper without his tactical guide during the shootout.
The impact was immediate. Deprived of his notes, Donnarumma struggled to read the shooters, diving to the left for all five attempts and failing to make a single save. Only the final shot came close, but it deflected off his body and entered the net. Bosnia-Herzegovina ultimately triumphed, securing their spot in the summer World Cup in the United States.
The aftermath of the shootout was marked by chaos and confusion. Donnarumma, visibly distraught and angry, reportedly believed that the Bosnian goalkeeper, Nikola Vasilj, had stolen the notes. According to Vasilj, who plays for St. Pauli in Germany, the two keepers engaged in a heated argument, and Donnarumma allegedly attempted to tear up Vasilj’s own notes—which contained the penalty habits of Italian players—in retaliation after the first missed Italian penalty.
Vasilj later recounted the incident, stating he was shocked by the encounter and had even approached the referee to argue that the opponent’s behavior was unsportsmanlike. Meanwhile, Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso expressed his frustration following the loss, telling reporters that the result was “not fair” and that his team did not deserve the outcome, though he remained proud of his players.
In Bosnia, Afan Cizmic has been elevated to the status of a national hero. The teenager has since appeared in the media to describe Donnarumma’s anger when the goalkeeper realized the notes were missing. Cizmic has decided to put the stolen cheat sheet up for a charity auction. Some supporters have even called for the youth player to accompany the national team to the World Cup as a reward for his ingenuity.
For Italy, the loss extends a painful drought. the national team has not appeared at a World Cup since 2014. Their recent attempts to qualify via the play-offs ended in failure against Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022.
Bosnia-Herzegovina now prepares for their World Cup campaign, with a schedule that sees them face Canada on June 12, Switzerland on June 18, and Qatar on June 24.
