August 13, (THEWILL) – Roberto Mancini has resigned from his role as manager of the Italian national football team after five years in charge, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Sunday.
Mancini took over the team in May 2018 following Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Under his leadership, Italy experienced a resurgence, going unbeaten in three years and winning the delayed Euro 2020 tournament last summer. However, the team failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after a shock 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in March.
In a statement, FIGC said Mancini’s time in charge marked “a significant page in the history of the Azzurri.” The federation thanked Mancini for his service and said it will announce a replacement manager within the next few days. While Mancini had received backing from FIGC President Gabriele Gravina to continue after Italy did not make the World Cup, he ultimately decided now was the time to step aside.
The former Manchester City and Inter Milan boss leaves big shoes to fill, having guided Italy on a national record 37-game unbeaten run and their first European title since 1968. FIGC will hope to appoint a successor who can bring back those glory days ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
