Roberto Mancini has accepted the role of Italy head coach for a second spell, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malagò announced on Tuesday. He also confirmed that Claudio Ranieri will become the new technical director.
Mancini succeeds Gennaro Gattuso, who departed in April after Italy missed out on World Cup qualification for the third consecutive tournament. He returns to the position he previously occupied from 2018 until 2023. During that period, he guided Italy to the European Championship title in 2021, defeating England on penalties at Wembley. However, the team later failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and began its Euro 2024 qualifying campaign poorly. Mancini oversaw 58 Italy matches in his first tenure. His club career includes spells with Inter, Fiorentina and Manchester City, where he worked for three years and delivered the club’s first Premier League championship in the 2011-12 season.
“Mancini will lead the team,” Malagò said on Tuesday. “I felt Roberto Mancini was the strongest candidate for the head coach position.”
Former FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini and his adviser Leonardo stepped down on Monday after Andrea Pirlo was prevented from becoming head coach because of the former midfielder’s links to a Russian gambling company. Pep Guardiola had initially been the federation’s preferred candidate, but he rejected the opportunity last month.
Ranieri takes over from Maldini. The 74-year-old, who guided Leicester City to the Premier League crown in 2016, will be responsible for technical activities and the development of elite football throughout Italy’s national-team system. “I wanted someone with whom I could jointly decide on the coach, because my assessment alone would not have held enough influence,” Malagò said. “As a result, Italy now has both a new head coach and a new technical director.”
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