Italian Football Federation Reappoints Mancini as National Team Coach

The reappointment comes with Mancini's own history with the Italian federation, which has left traces. Three years earlier, Mancini had suddenly departed for Saudi Arabia as team coach despite a running contract, allegedly on a four-year deal worth 25 million euros per season. „als im August 2023 das große Geld aus Saudi-Arabien lockte, war er weg. Er verabschiedete sich trotz laufenden Vertrags aus Italien und übernahm kurz darauf die Auswahl Saudi-Arabiens“, schildert die Deutsche Presse-Agentur den Bruch. His collaboration with the Saudi federation already ended by mutual consent in October 2024 due to a disappointing sporting record.

Stints Between Europe and the Desert

He stayed with the Saudis for only 14 months. He then moved – certainly also for good money – to Qatar to the club al-Sadd. In Qatar, Mancini most recently won the domestic league title with Al-Sadd. His contract there ran, according to federation information, from November 2025 to June 2026.

A Chain of Candidates and Rejections

The search for a successor to Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned in April, proved to be highly volatile. First, the preferred candidate, former Barcelona, Bayern, and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, declined. Guardiola said no because, following the end of his ten-year tenure at Manchester City, he does not currently feel ready for a new job. The new federation president, Giovanni Malagò, had actually preferred to win Guardiola as the next manager of the team.

Carlo Ancelotti also dropped out as a candidate. Ancelotti, as the current Brazilian national team coach, was a wishful fantasy from the start and therefore only a very theoretical option. Other names that circulated included Thiago Motta or perhaps Thiago Motta, according to the reporting. Andrea Pirlo was also repeatedly mentioned as a possible candidate. However, his too-close ties to Russia became his downfall.

Pirlo, who led Italy to the World Cup title in 2006 in Germany as a playmaker, coaches in Dubai a club owned by a Russian businessman. The 2006 world champion is a brand ambassador for a Russian betting provider. His candidacy failed, according to reports from Rome, due to concerns over these Russian connections. Only after this failed attempt did the intensive search for a successor really pick up speed a few weeks ago.

Ranieri as Second in Command

With the decision for Mancini, the federation is also falling back on an old acquaintance behind the scenes. Alongside Mancini, former AS Roma coach, the 74-year-old Claudio Ranieri, is to become the new Technical Director. Ranieri thus takes on a post most recently held by Paolo Maldini – albeit for only 16 days. Maldini, who had only just been appointed Technical Director, and his advisor Leonardo gave up their posts again after just 16 days in office.

The sporting situation of the Squadra Azzurra, which is still missing Italy's fourth World Cup triumph and which suffered between 2021 and 2026 under three missed final tournaments, leaves the federation little room for maneuver. Mancini's first task will be the Nations League match against Belgium on September 25 – if he is indeed allowed to take charge in September. Formalities regarding the contract signing are still pending before then.

Federation Under Fire

Mancini himself brings a prominent CV. As a player, he played in the 1980s and 1990s for Sampdoria Genoa, later for Lazio Rome, and ended his playing career at Leicester City in England. As a coach, he has won domestic league titles with Inter Milan and Manchester City. With Italy, he celebrated the triumph at the European Championship in 2021. „Der 61-Jährige soll den Angaben zufolge die Nationalmannschaft wieder in Form bringen“, heißt es in der Mitteilung des Verbandes.

The history of Mancini's first tenure in Italy also ended on a discordant note. Mancini subsequently failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. After that, Italy missed the next World Cup under his successor, before Gattuso resigned in the spring of 2026 following the defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina. „Fast vier Monate hat die Suche gedauert“, bilanziert die Deutsche Presse-Agentur den Zeitraum zwischen Gattusos Abgang und der Verkündung am Dienstag.

In Rome, meanwhile, the debate is not only about the coaching question. The new federation president Malagò, himself only in office since the end of June, is facing public criticism. Italy's Minister of Sport, Andrea Abodi, publicly criticized Malagò and spoke of an „unschönen Bild“. Malagò replied that not everyone can judge the mistakes of others, and defended the search at length at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. The Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport commented on the coaching search with the demand: „Italien muss neu gegründet werden“.

Outlook: Nations League Against Belgium

At the same time, further personnel matters were discussed. Giorgio Chiellini, former national player and manager at Juventus Turin, made clear on Tuesday: „Ich möchte klarstellen, dass ich mit meiner Rolle bei Juventus glücklich bin“, thus rejecting speculation about a move to the federation as Technical Director. Gianluigi Buffon was also being discussed as head of delegation. From a German perspective, the situation in Italy appears disparate: while the national team coach in this country has generated a kind of mood of new beginnings, with the federation and fans almost unanimously behind him, the federation leadership in Rome appears divided.

Mancini himself was not present at the press conference in Rome on Tuesday, according to reports. „Wobei: Unterschrieben ist noch nichts...“ schreibt die Deutsche Presse-Agentur zum Stand der Verhandlungen. The appointment nevertheless comes as a surprise to observers, as Mancini is considered a wavering candidate with a wandering eye and volatile stints. Should he actually be on the bench in September, it would be his third attempt in the same role.

The next acid test for the federation and Mancini follows immediately. The Nations League match against Belgium on September 25 will be the first real test under the new-old coaching leadership. By then, the federation must not only get the contract finalized, but also answer the question of how a federation that has failed for the third time in a row can find its way back to the world elite.