Mancini named Italy coach for second time
Roberto Mancini has officially returned as the head coach of the Italy national football team following a turbulent managerial search which witnessed the rejection of Andrea Pirlo over his links with a Russian betting firm.
The announcement of the former international as the new head coach of the national team was made known on Tuesday evening by Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malagò.
“Mancini is the coach,” Malago said. “I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini.
Alongside the appointment of Mancini, veteran manager Claudio Ranieri has also been named Italy’s new technical director, thus becoming the new strong man of the Italian Football Federation.
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While speaking about Ranieri’s appointment as the new director, Malago said; “I needed someone with whom I could share the decision on the coach, because without that shared view my reasoning would have carried little weight.
“So consequently, we have a new coach and a new technical director for Italy.”
The role of Italy head coach became vacant after Gennaro Gattuso left the post following Italy’s devastating failure to qualify for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup.
The immediate priority of Mancini who previously managed the Azzurri from 2018 to 2023, will be rebuilding the squad ahead of their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Belgium, France, and Turkey.
