Mancini Returns as Italy Coach After Pirlo Betting Scandal
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- Roberto Mancini was reappointed as Italy men's national team head coach on Tuesday by FIGC president Giovanni Malagò, returning four years after being dismissed from the role he previously held from 2018 to 2023.
- Andrea Pirlo, the leading candidate after Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola reportedly turned down the offer, was vetoed by Malagò because of his role as a global ambassador for Russian betting firm Fonbet, a position he took in October 2025.
- Paolo Maldini resigned as Italy technical director just 16 days after his appointment, and Leonardo stepped down as team advisor — both having backed Pirlo for the coaching role — after the Pirlo candidacy was rejected.
- Claudio Ranieri was announced as the replacement technical director, while Giorgio Chiellini was touted as a frontrunner for Maldini's old role but said he remains happy at Juventus.
- Mancini previously led the Azzurri to the European Championship title in 2021 before resigning in August 2023 and subsequently managing Saudi Arabia's national team and Qatar's Al Sadd.
- Italy had been without a permanent coach since Gennaro Gattuso quit after April's World Cup playoff loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina, which condemned the Azzurri to a third consecutive missed men's World Cup.
Why it matters: Mancini's reappointment closes a turbulent week in which the FIGC rejected its preferred candidate (Pirlo) over gambling-industry ties, prompting the resignations of both Maldini (16 days into the technical director role) and Leonardo. Italy gets a familiar Euro-winning coach at the helm but must rebuild its senior football leadership structure from scratch.
