CT Italia: One of the Alternatives to Roberto Mancini Is Out of the Picture
The future of the national team’s coaching staff is also becoming intertwined with events taking place outside Italy’s borders. While Roberto Mancini—who spent last season with Al-Sadd but has made himself available to the Italian Football Federation’s new leadership—is in the lead, one of the alternative candidates, Vincenzo Montella, has fallen out of the running in recent hours.
Despite Turkey’s mathematical elimination from the World Cup finals, the president of the Turkish Football Federation, Ibrahim Ethem Haciosmanoglu, in a lengthy statement on the federation’s official website, has stood firmly behind the former “Aeroplanino” coach following the criticism that arose after the losses to Australia and Paraguay.
“Two lost matches do not erase what this team has built,” explained Haciosmanoglu. “Montella and his players took us to the quarterfinals of the European Championship, to Nations League A, and—after 24 years—to the World Cup. Let’s not abandon those who have walked with us: anyone who knows our character knows that we don’t replace the people we started with just because we find someone else along the way. These guys have brought us this far, and they’ll be the ones to bring us joy again.”
The remarks from the head of Turkish soccer come at the same time that Giovanni Malagò was elected president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Although he didn’t name names, he set the tone regarding the search for a new head coach: “I haven’t spoken to anyone,” he said. “Now let’s start thinking it through: we’ll need to analyze the financial statements and make concrete assessments. Whoever coaches the national team, beyond their resume, must fully embrace the project in every way: you can’t just say, ‘Get ready and go.’ We need a clear path for everyone.”
This stance leaves room for many interpretations, especially in light of the rumors circulating in recent hours, according to which some “big names” in the Italian national team’s locker room have already been pushing for the return of Roberto Mancini, the coach who left in 2023 after a falling-out with Gabriele Gravina.
