Overview
- On Saturday, July 11, 2026, FIGC president Giovanni Malagò announced that Paolo Maldini accepted the role of direttore tecnico and president of the newly empowered Club Italia on a four‑year contract through 2030.
- Maldini will be joined by Leonardo as his advisor and given authority over the full national‑teams pipeline, including the selection of youth‑team coaches and oversight of Coverciano training programs.
- FIGC has opened a short evaluation to name the next Italy head coach with Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte, Stefano Pioli and Andrea Pirlo on the longlist and an informal contact reported with Pep Guardiola as a high‑profile possibility.
- Federation sources say the coach decision is expected quickly, with Malagò signaling roughly a week of consultations before a final appointment, and immediate work planned to resolve contracts and staffing gaps across age groups.
- The appointments have lifted optimism in media and betting markets but drawn criticism from figures like Gianni Rivera who warn about outside pressure and urge focus on grassroots fixes to produce more elite players for the long term.