MILAN (AP) 鈥� Roberto Mancini has once again been tasked with revitalizing , almost exactly three years after he bolted on the national team.
Italian soccer federation Giovanni Malag貌 announced Mancini as the new Italy coach on Tuesday, adding that Claudio Ranieri will become the new technical director after Paolo Maldini stepped down the previous day 鈥� just 16 days after being appointed.
The 61-year-old Mancini in 2021 but as Italy coach in August 2023, two weeks later.
鈥淭ime was running out 鈥� I believed the person who should become the new coach of Italy is Roberto Mancini, for a whole list of reasons,鈥� Malag貌 said. 鈥淭here will be a press conference tomorrow with both Claudio Ranieri and Roberto Mancini.鈥�
The Italian national team is in crisis after to qualify for the World Cup, prompting the resignations of and coach in April.
Mancini’s first spell
Mancini鈥檚 first spell as Italy coach came immediately after the team missed out on the 2018 World Cup, having lost to Sweden in a qualifying playoff.
He revived the Azzurri by adding flair and youth to a team that won admirers all over the continent during the year-delayed Euro 2020 鈥� beating England at Wembley Stadium in a penalty shootout for the trophy.
Between 2018 and 2021, Mancini coached Italy to a world-record 37-match unbeaten run.
However, to 67th-ranked North Macedonia at home in 2022 meant that the Azzurri again missed out on the World Cup.
Mancini nevertheless kept his position before surprisingly quitting in August 2023. He left Saudi Arabia in 2024 and was most recently coach at Al-Sadd in Qatar, before departing last month.
Mancini also previously steered Inter Milan and Manchester City to league titles.
Pirlo, Guardiola and Ancelotti
The appointment comes the day after for the Italy job amid political concerns over a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm.
Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti had already turned down offers to coach the Azzurri.
Italy next plays in September and October, when it will face Belgium, Turkey and France in the Nations League.
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