After 'Russian scandal' with Pirlo, Italy gets new coach
The Italian Football Federation has announced the return of Roberto Mancini as head coach of the national team following the resignation of Gennaro Gattuso. Mancini replaces Gattuso, who stepped down after the team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The appointment was preceded by a scandal involving Andrea Pirlo, whose contract with Russian bookmaker Fonbet drew criticism from politicians.
The Italian Football Federation has announced the return of Roberto Mancini as head coach of the national team. He replaces Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned after the 'Azzurri' failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, missing the 2018, 2022, and 2026 tournaments. Meanwhile, Claudio Ranieri took on the role of technical director of the federation, replacing Paolo Maldini. Mancini previously led the national team from 2018 to 2023, winning the 2020 European Championship and setting a record unbeaten streak of 37 matches. In August 2023, he unexpectedly resigned, after which he worked with the Saudi Arabian national team and Qatari club Al-Sadd. Mancini's return came amid a scandal involving Andrea Pirlo, who was close to being appointed, but the deal fell through due to his commercial ties with Russian bookmaker Fonbet. Pirlo became a global ambassador for Fonbet in October 2025, and in May 2026 he visited Moscow for the Russian Cup final. This drew criticism from European and Italian politicians, including Vice President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno and leader of the Azione party Carlo Calenda. Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi blamed the federation for the breakdown of negotiations, noting that ties with the Russian bookmaker complicated the coach's approval.