Mancini Returns as Italy Head Coach After Chaotic Search
The FIGC have gone back to the man they know. Roberto Mancini is returning as Azzurri head coach, stepping into the void left by Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation in April after a turbulent and at times chaotic search for a successor.
His comeback, confirmed in an official post on the FIGC’s social channels and reported by Sky Italia to include a formal presentation on Wednesday, ends weeks of uncertainty at the top of the national team. Mancini left Qatari side Al-Sadd only last month and now walks straight back into one of the most scrutinised jobs in world football, ready to lead Italy again after his most recent spell in charge of Saudi Arabia.
Pirlo Blocked, Maldini and Leonardo Walk Out
The road back to Mancini was anything but smooth.
The federation’s managerial hunt descended into internal crisis when FIGC president Giovanni Malago dramatically vetoed Andrea Pirlo’s appointment at the last moment. The deal was effectively in place, the announcement looming, when Malago stepped in.
The trigger? Pirlo’s ambassadorial role with a Russian betting company.
That late intervention detonated immediate shockwaves inside the FIGC. Technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo, only 16 days into their posts, resigned on the spot. Two of Italian football’s most respected figures walked away in unison, underlining just how deep the disagreement ran over the direction of the national team.
From a carefully planned succession, the federation suddenly found itself scrambling.
Malago Turns to Mancini – and Calls in Ranieri
Under growing time pressure, Malago moved decisively. Facing the media on Tuesday, he laid out why the FIGC had turned back to a familiar leader.
“Time was running out and I thought the right person to be coach was Roberto Mancini. He's the best possible choice,” Malago said, making clear this was not a compromise but, in his eyes, the ideal solution.
He also stressed that the role of technical director remains central to the project. Rather than downgrading that position, the FIGC has approved an amendment to its statute to allow another figure to serve as president of Club Italia alongside the head coach.
Malago wanted someone to share responsibility for the new era and to stand firmly behind Mancini’s appointment. He found that ally in Claudio Ranieri.
The legendary former Leicester City manager has agreed to come aboard as technical director, with Malago revealing that Ranieri “signed his commitment a few minutes ago.” It is a heavyweight pairing: Mancini on the touchline, Ranieri shaping the broader technical framework.
A New Axis for a Restless Nation
So Italy return to a coach who knows the weight of the shirt, but in a federation that has just torn up its own script. Mancini steps into a dressing room he understands, under a president who has just taken one of the boldest decisions of his tenure, flanked by a technical director whose reputation for calm and structure is renowned across Europe.
The search that began with Gattuso’s resignation, veered towards Pirlo, and sparked the exit of Maldini and Leonardo has finally produced a new axis: Mancini and Ranieri.
The question now is simple and unforgiving: can this duo steady a shaken federation and drag the Azzurri back to where Italy believes it belongs?
