Roberto Mancini quits as Italy coach
The former Manchester City manager has stepped down with immediate effect following an up-and-down tenure with the Azzurri
Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has quit his role as Italy coach 10 months before the start of Euro 2024.
Mancini led Italy to glory at Euro 2020 as the Azzurri beat England in the final on penalties at Wembley, but disappointment followed as they failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Qatar.
The Italian Football Federation said the 58-year-old had communicated his resignation "late last night" and added that a successor would be named "in the coming days".
"The Italian Football Federation announces that it has taken note of the resignation of Roberto Mancini from the position of coach of the Italian national team, received late yesterday evening," they said in a statement.
"Thus concludes a significant page in the history of the Azzurri, which began in May 2018 and concluded with the 2023 Nations League Finals; in between, the victory at Euro 2020, a triumph conquered by a group in which all the individuals have known how to become a team.
"Taking into account the important and close commitments for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers (10 and 12 September with North Macedonia and Ukraine), the FIGC will announce the name of the new national coach in the next few days."
Mancini won 37 matches, drew 15 and lost nine as Italy coach. Former Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti is an early favourite to replace him.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.