The Italian Football Federation has already made a decision to try to stop one of the most delicate stages of the Azzurra. Giovanni Malagò announced this Tuesday the return of Roberto Mancini as national coach and also confirmed the arrival of Claudio Ranieri as the new technical director of the national team, replacing Paolo Maldini.

The double appointment occurred just one day after the resignation of Maldini and his advisor Leonardo, who left the federation after the veto of Andrea Pirlo as coach. The institutional crisis forced decisions to be accelerated.

“Time was pressing and I have considered that the person who should become technical commissioner of the Italian National Team was Roberto Mancini for a series of considerations for which I assume responsibility,” declared Malagò at a press conference after the FIGC Federal Council.

Mancini, 61, returns to the Italian bench almost three years after resigning in August 2023 to take over the Saudi Arabia national team. Their mission is the same again: to rebuild a team hit by the absence of three consecutive World Cups.

Pirlo's veto triggered a rupture in the federation

The trigger for the crisis was Malagò's decision to stop the hiring of Andrea Pirlo due to his connection as an ambassador for a Russian sports betting company. That operation was already very advanced and had the support of Maldini and Leonardo.

The president of the FIGC explained that neither he nor Maldini were initially aware of this commercial relationship, but he defended his decision. "The decline of candidate Pirlo forced the speaker not to support him. Simply because of a matter of opportunity. There are no more interpretations or truths (...) I assume responsibility for having stopped the process of his election," he stated.

Regarding the departure of Maldini and Leonardo, Malagò assured that both parties reached “the serene coincidence that their paths should separate.”

The tension generated by the case even reached the political sphere and led to criticism from the Minister of Sports, Claudio Abodi.

Mancini returns with the memory of the Euro Cup and the challenge of the World Cup

The new coach already knows the scenario that awaits him. His first stage in charge of Italy began in 2018, after the elimination towards the World Cup in Russia. Under his leadership, the Azzurra won Euro 2021 after beating England at Wembley.

His cycle, however, was also marked by the frustration of not qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after losing to North Macedonia in the play-offs.

Before leading the national team, Mancini built a long career in clubs. He began his coaching career at Fiorentina in 2001, went through Lazio and achieved his greatest success at Inter Milan, where he won three consecutive Serie A titles between 2006 and 2008. He later managed Manchester City, Galatasaray and Zenit.

The federation will hold a new press conference in which Mancini and Ranieri will be present to officially present the project.

Italy has not played in a World Cup since Brazil 2014 and was left out of the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions, an unprecedented situation for a four-time world champion team. The arrival of Mancini and Ranieri represents the first step in the reconstruction that the FIGC hopes to culminate with the return of the Azzurra to the biggest event in international football.

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