Giovanni Malago has denied any approach to Roberto Mancini as Italy search for a new head coach, stressing that no talks have taken place while the Italian Football Federation reshapes plans after missing the 2026 World Cup.
The FIGC is under pressure to appoint a replacement for Gennaro Gattuso, whose spell ended after Italy again failed to qualify for footballโs biggest tournament, leaving the Azzurri without a World Cup appearance since 2014 despite being former world champions.
Malago, who has just succeeded Gabriele Gravina as FIGC president, underlined that selecting the next Italy head coach will follow a wider review of federation issues, and stated that no candidate, including Mancini or Antonio Conte, currently holds any formal advantage.
Asked directly whether Mancini is leading the race to become Italy head coach, Malago responded clearly, saying: "I have not spoken to anyone about the Italy job and nobody can tell you any differently," he said. "We will begin thinking about that from now. We need to look at other critical issues. "
Manciniโs name quickly surfaced because of past success, having guided Italy to Euro 2020 glory against England, although the coach resigned in 2023 before accepting the Saudi Arabia job, a spell that lasted only one year before ending earlier than many observers expected.
Other high-profile figures have also been mentioned around the Italy head coach vacancy, with Massimiliano Allegri linked despite being tipped for a move to Napoli, while Pep Guardiola has been associated with the post but is widely expected to pause coaching after leaving Manchester City.
While the search continues, Italy already know the next competitive tests awaiting the new Italy head coach, with Nations League matches scheduled in September and October against Belgium, France and Turkiye, including two meetings with Turkiye during an extended international window.
Malago formally assumed control of the FIGC shortly before these questions about the Italy head coach role intensified, and the federation highlighted the appointment with an announcement on social media, underlining the start of a new leadership phase for Italian football governance.
๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐il nuovo presidente della FIGC #FIGC pic.twitter.com/MqW9UwsQclFIGC (@FIGC) June 22, 2026
Explaining the circumstances behind accepting the presidency and how that links to choosing the next Italy head coach, Malago offered insight into personal motivation and the type of figure wanted on the Azzurri bench, stressing alignment of ideas over reputation or past achievements.
Malago said: "I made a crazy decision, out of love, running for this position. I had not put forward my candidacy, but I was pulled into it. The new coach will have to embrace that. I will not opt for a figure who has a different vision to mine, he has to fully share it. We can't just say saddle up and get going. It has to be a total embrace, regardless of his CV. "
Italyโs failure to reach the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups has created a rare situation, with the Azzurri becoming the first former champions to miss three straight editions, so the choice of the next Italy head coach is framed as a long-term reset rather than a quick response.
