Roberto Mancini has been reinstalled as head coach of Italy, with Claudio Ranieri appointed to a senior technical position at the Italian Football Federation, in a sweeping shake-up of the national-team set-up.
Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Football Federation, confirmed on Tuesday that Mancini is returning to the Azzurri hot seat, bringing the 59-year-old back to the role he left in 2023 when he departed to take charge of Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at a press conference to unveil the changes, Malago said: “I saw that Roberto Mancini is the best person to take charge of the Italian national team.”
Mancini’s comeback follows a first spell in which he led Italy for five years and oversaw one of the national side’s greatest recent triumphs, winning Euro 2020 after beating England on penalties in the final.
Ranieri moves into federation role
Alongside Mancini’s return, Malago also announced that Claudio Ranieri has been appointed as technical director of the federation, a role designed to strengthen the FIGC’s sporting structure.
The decision to bring in the vastly experienced former club coach is intended to give both the administrative and football departments greater stability and know-how, following what officials admit has been a turbulent spell for the organisation.
The federation believes Ranieri’s involvement at senior level will support Mancini and the wider national-team framework as Italy attempt to rebuild on and off the pitch.
Background to the shake-up
The appointments come after a series of rapid developments inside the federation that left the Azzurri without a clear long-term direction.
The FIGC had initially pursued Andrea Pirlo for a leading role, but that plan stalled, prompting further uncertainty. The situation was compounded when Paolo Maldini and Leonardo both announced their departures from their positions at the federation shortly after taking them up.
Those exits, on top of the unresolved coaching situation, added to the sense of instability around the national team and its leadership structure.
New project for the Azzurri
By restoring Mancini to the dugout and installing Ranieri in a key technical position, Malago and his board are aiming to draw a line under the recent upheaval and set out a coherent vision for the future.
The FIGC hopes that the combination of Mancini’s proven track record with the national side and Ranieri’s broad experience in high-level football administration and management will help Italy re-establish themselves among Europe’s and the world’s leading teams.
Officials view this new partnership as the foundation for a fresh project intended to steer the Azzurri back to the forefront of international football after a period marked by internal disputes and organisational change.
