Coach Luciano Spalletti has become the new Italian football coach, replacing Roberto Mancini, who unexpectedly left his post last week, the Italian Federation (FIGC) said on Friday in a statement on its official website.
Spalletti officially takes over as Italian manager on September 1 and will sign a contract until 2026 that covers Euro 2024 in Germany and the 2026 World Cup scheduled for the US, Canada and Mexico.
“The national team needed a great coach and I’m glad he accepted our invitation. His enthusiasm and experience will be the key to the challenges that lie ahead for Italy in the coming months,” said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina.
The 64-year-old manager, despite not having a club, is currently the Italian club champion, having led Napoli to Serie A victory in 2022/23.
Last week, Mancini was surprised to announce his resignation as commander of the “Azzurra Squad” he has held since 2018, especially since he also recently took on the role of youth team coordinator (under-20 and under-21).
Mancini led Italy to victory at Euro 2020 but failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar for the second consecutive World Cup without a transalpine presence.
Spalletti will live out his first international experience after a long career with Inter Milan, Roma and Udinese, as well as Zenit (St. Petersburg, Russia) in addition to Napoli.
However, the arrival of Spalletti in the Italian national team cannot be peaceful, since Napoli, at the end of the season and with another year of the contract, released the coach at zero cost, promising that he would train for at least a year.
The Tuscan coach will make his debut in September in the double qualifying round for Euro 2024, first in North Macedonia (9), the team that eliminated the Italians from the last World Cup, and then in a reception in Ukraine (12).
Italy are third in Group C with three points from two games in a group that also includes England and Malta.
LG // NFO
Portuguese/Late
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.