National Team: Roberto Mancini and Giovanni Malagò Together in Rome—What’s Behind It?

Roberto Mancini and Giovanni Malagò, the new president of the FIGC, spent an evening together, during which they didn’t miss the opportunity to emphasize the mutual respect that binds them. The national soccer team, however, is not the focus of their discussion: in fact, according to their own words, the future of Italy’s head coaching position is still entirely up in the air. Yet the soccer community remains hopeful of getting at least some clues about the Azzurri’s new head coach. All the more so since a Serie A League meeting is scheduled for Thursday, which could very well set off a chain reaction, given that Paolo Maldini and Leonardo are also expected to attend.

However, as mentioned, Mancini and Malagò had already met on Wednesday evening. They did so, however, for a reason that has little—if anything at all—to do with the national team. In fact, the two met at the Circolo Canottieri Aniene to play a game of five-a-side soccer against each other. To be precise, they faced off wearing the jerseys of Lazio Over 60 and the Canottieri Aniene team of the same age group, which went on to win the cup at stake. On that occasion, the former head coach assured that he had not made any contact with the FIGC to resume his former role. “There haven’t been any,” he stated.

“Many people would like the role of Italy’s head coach, but it’s not up to me,” Mancini added, as also confirmed by *La Gazzetta dello Sport*. Praise for him, however, came from Malagò: “Roberto played fantastically again tonight. On the field, he’s very humble; he always helps you a lot. In any case, he and I are very close in life, no matter what. I want to say that and reiterate it.” Then, however, came the statement that left everyone stunned: “I don’t think the name of the new head coach will be announced tomorrow at the League assembly.” Time will tell if this is just pre-negotiation tactics.

Yet the head coach situation is far from settled. In the last few hours, Malagò confirmed in an interview with ‘Cronache di Spogliatoio’ that the FIGC is in concrete talks with Pep Guardiola, who is currently without a team following his departure from Manchester City. The Catalan coach has already had a meeting with technical director Paolo Maldini and advisor Leonardo and has taken a few days to reflect. “There’s talk of financial aspects and a massive budget; to say we’ll have to tighten our belts is an understatement. Exceptions have been made—exceptions that, for example, may concern the name that’s dominating the headlines right now: Pep Guardiola. Exceptions for obvious reasons that I won’t go into here, but it’s not a given that this will come to fruition,” specified the head of Italian soccer.

Despite the openness toward Guardiola, Malagò was keen to clarify that the shortlist is by no means closed: “Is the field limited to them? Absolutely not; we’re considering a certain profile, and these names certainly fall into that category.” In addition to the Catalan, Andrea Pirlo and Mancini himself remain in the running. Pirlo, in fact, is the name that has gained the most traction in recent weeks as Maldini’s favorite candidate—Maldini, with whom he spent eight seasons at Milan: the former playmaker and 2006 World Cup champion is currently coaching in Dubai, following stints on the benches of Fatih Karagümrük and Sampdoria, and his potential appointment with the Azzurri would not present any financial obstacles. A meeting between Malagò and Pirlo himself is expected in the coming days to gauge their alignment on the technical project.

Antonio Conte is out of the running, at least for now. The former Napoli coach, speaking on the ‘DAZN’ network, made it clear that he had not yet been contacted about a possible return to the national team following his stint that ended at Euro 2016. “I haven’t been contacted about returning to the national team,” the Salento-born coach stated, adding that he was “very happy” to be able to rest while awaiting new opportunities. This public statement effectively rules him out of the running—at least temporarily—even though his financial situation remains complicated: according to leaks, Al-Ittihad has reportedly offered him a contract worth 20 million euros net per year—a figure five times higher than what the FIGC would be able to offer.

The window for a decision remains tight, however. The national team is set to begin its Nations League campaign on September 25, when it will face Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in a group that also includes France and Turkey. This schedule forces the Federation to wrap things up quickly, making the evening at the Circolo Canottieri Aniene all the more intriguing: two of the main protagonists in this story, Mancini and Malagò, are facing off in a game of five-a-side soccer while the future of the Azzurri’s head coaching position remains shrouded in mystery.