According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the FIGC already had a plan in place to reward the players in case of a victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina and successful qualification. Although for stars earning millions, a gift worth 10,000 euros holds little financial significance, it was highly desired as it represented the crown of success and a symbol of great achievement. The practice is that footballers do not receive regular salaries for appearances in the national team, so the FIGC decided to allocate a budget of 10,000 euros per player as a bonus for qualification. However, given that distributing cash to millionaires would neither be elegant nor highly appreciated, the Federation decided to convert that money into a tangible memento. The idea was, as had been done in the past, to purchase luxury watches for the players that would forever remind them of qualifying for the World Cup. According to the Italian newspaper, this gift was widely discussed during the gathering for the play-offs. The atmosphere was particularly celebratory after the victory against Northern Ireland in Bergamo, when, on the wings of enthusiasm, the team was already slowly making plans for America, although none of the players formally raised questions about bonuses. The fateful defeat in Zenica shattered the dreams of an entire nation into pieces. In the end, the Italian footballers were left empty-handed, forced to face the painful reality of yet another missed World Cup.