Chaos and comeback: Malagò’s frantic coach search ends with Mancini

In just 17 days the Italian football landscape has swung from a collapsed coach hunt to the announcement of a new manager, as FIGC President Giovanni Malagò wrestles with a failed appointment, the resignation of technical director Paolo Maldini and the blocked candidacy of Andrea Pirlo, leaving Italy’s national team in limbo.

After Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola declined the role, the federation turned to Andrea Pirlo. However, Pirlo’s global brand ambassador contract with the banned Russian gambling company Fonbet forced Malagò to reject the third‑choice candidate.

“I apologise if yesterday I saw some of you in hot temperatures outside and I couldn’t give you many answers. There were no alternatives,” Malagò told reporters at a press conference, acknowledging the vacuum created by the failed negotiations.

Paolo Maldini and AC Milan sporting director Leonardo De Araujo resigned four days after unveiling their strategic plan to Lega Serie A, prompting Malagò to assume personal responsibility for selecting the new coach.

Russian gambling ties derail Italy's coach hunt, Pirlo out

“Time is short, your curiosity as the media also pushed us to hurry, and I evaluated the person who should become the new coach of Italy is Roberto Mancini, for a whole list of reasons,” Malagò said, confirming his choice of Roberto Mancini as head coach.

He also clarified that the appointment does not alter the newly created role of technical director at Club Italia, a cultural shift that moved leadership from the FIGC President alone to a shared structure involving a technical director, a change agreed with Paolo Maldini and Leonardo.

Claudio Ranieri, described by Malagò as the person sharing his vision for the coach, will take the technical director role, and a joint press conference with Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri was scheduled for the following day at 18:00.

The unresolved element remains the upcoming press conference, where the final details of the new coaching hierarchy will be disclosed and the federation will address lingering questions about the Pirlo episode and the broader strategic direction of Club Italia.