Italy have finally ended a week of turmoil by appointing Roberto Mancini as Claudio Ranieri is hired as technical director - replacing Paolo Maldini.
The FIGC president, Giovanni Malago, said on the appointment: “Mancini is the coach. I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini.” “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,” Malago said. “So consequently, we have a new coach and a new technical director for Italy.”
Mancini’s reappointment comes at the end of a dramatic and often chaotic search for a new coach. The Italian Football Federation, through their ex-technical director Paolo Maldini, explored several high-profile options, including an ambitious attempt to lure Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti. Pirlo was the third man to be eyed for the job after Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti both said no.