Overview
- Roberto Mancini was officially reappointed by the Italian Football Federation in July to take charge of the national team for a second spell.
- The federation’s summer search followed Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation after Italy missed World Cup qualification in April and included rejected approaches to Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
- A near-appointment of Andrea Pirlo collapsed over his link to a Russian betting sponsor, a controversy that exposed gaps in the FIGC’s commercial vetting and prompted internal resignations.
- Gennaro Gattuso publicly backed Mancini and described his World Cup failure as a lifelong “wound” in comments published Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
- Mancini’s immediate test is a Nations League match against Belgium on September 25 and the FIGC says his hire will buy time to pursue an eight-to-ten-year technical overhaul covering youth development, scouting and club cooperation.