Rome, July 28 (IANS) Roberto Mancini has been appointed for a second spell as Italy head coach, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Giovanni Malago announced on Tuesday.
The 61-year-old succeeds Gennaro Gattuso, who stepped down earlier this year after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending the country's absence from football's biggest tournament to three straight editions.
Mancini previously coached Italy from 2018 to 2023, leading the Azzurri to the UEFA Euro 2020 title before resigning to take charge of Saudi Arabia's national team. Malago also confirmed former Roma coach Claudio Ranieri as the federation's new technical director.
Italy's latest overhaul followed a 2-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff in March. The loss prompted the resignations of both former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and Gattuso.
The search for a new coach proved difficult after Malago was elected FIGC president in June. He appointed former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini as technical director and former Brazil international Leonardo as an adviser to oversee the recruitment process.
Italian media linked Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Mancini with the role, while Andrea Pirlo was reportedly close to being appointed before being removed from contention amid controversy over his ties to a Russian betting company. Maldini and Leonardo subsequently resigned just 16 days after taking up their positions.
Mancini's first competitive matches in his second stint will come in the UEFA Nations League in September, with Italy drawn alongside France, Belgium and Türkiye.
This came after former Italy international Andrea Pirlo confirmed he was no longer in contention to become Italy's national team coach after criticism over his commercial association with Russian betting company Fonbet led to opposition against his potential appointment.
The 47-year-old World Cup winner has reportedly become one of the main candidates to replace Gennaro Gattuso after Pep Guardiola declined the role. However, Pirlo's candidacy faced serious scrutiny because of his role as a global ambassador for the Russian bookmaker Fonbet. This raised objections from officials within the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and several Italian lawmakers.
Breaking his silence on Monday, Pirlo shared that he had been informed the night before that he was no longer under consideration for the position and defended his professional conduct. "After learning last night that I am no longer the candidate to lead the Italian national team, I believe it is my duty to clarify a few points," Pirlo wrote on Instagram.
--IANS
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