Roberto Mancini returns to Italy as technical staff resignations follow coaching search turmoil

The Italian Football Federation has appointed Roberto Mancini as the new head coach of the national team, ending a 16-day period of administrative crisis. The search for a new coach became complicated when the federation rejected Andrea Pirlo, the preferred candidate of technical director Paolo Maldini and his collaborator Leonardo, citing Pirlo’s links to a Russian betting company. Following this decision, both Maldini and Leonardo officially resigned from their positions, protesting what they described as a violation of their autonomy and the agreed-upon project philosophy.

Roberto Mancini, who previously led Italy to the Euro 2020 title (played in 2021), is returning to the position he left in 2023. Claudio Ranieri is expected to join the new setup as the technical director. The leadership change comes in the wake of Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, a disappointment exacerbated by a playoff loss to Bosnia in March 2026. The federation aims to move past the internal conflict and finalize the restructuring of the national team staff immediately.