Decision imminent on Calzona’s future: among the hypotheses is a return to Italy
The partnership between Francesco Calzona and the Slovak Federation seems to have entered a crisis. The coach from Calabria, in fact, would not have accepted the renewal proposal and would be ready to definitively close a cycle that began in 2022, passed by the participation in Euro 2024 and arrived at the unfortunate playoff semifinal against Kosovo, but put an end to the dream of participating in the World Cup 2026.
The spokesman for the Federation, Juray Curny, denied the imminent farewell to ‘Sport.sk’, but at the same time the negotiations for the extension of the agreement would have stalled. For the final farewell, therefore, there is still to wait and it cannot be ruled out that the crisis between the coach born in 1968 and the top management of the Slovakian case may return, but in the background a return to Italy is beginning to loom, this time to take the path as a coach after so many years spent studying the game as a deputy.
The profile of Calzona, who in recent years has accumulated important experience at the international level, could enter the radar of more than one club, especially among those that, to date, have not yet confirmed their technical guide for next year. No concrete negotiations have been reported so far, but the possibility would grow with the once-and-for-all return from Bratislava.
In his coaching career, which began in the 2004-2005 Tuscan Promozione on the Castiglionese bench, Calzona has linked his name with that of Maurizio Sarri, whose deputy he was at Avellino, Verona, Perugia, Empoli and Naples. Instead, in 2020-2021 he was Eusebio Di Francesco’s first assistant at Cagliari, while in the following season he returned to Naples, this time as a technical assistant following Luciano Spalletti.
His experience with Slovakia’s national team began with the Sept. 22, 2022 challenge against Azerbaijan in Trnava, a match he lost 2-1. In contrast, the first success came on March 26, 2023: 2-0 to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the victorious Euro 2024 qualifier, a review in which the Slovaks went all the way to the round of 16, losing only in extra time 2-1 to England.
