PAOLI MALDINI NAMED FIGC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, WITH LEONARDO AS AN ADVISOR

It is with great satisfaction that FIGC President Giovanni Malagò announces that Paolo Maldini has accepted the offer to become the Federation’s Technical Director.

It is with great satisfaction that FIGC President Giovanni Malagò announces that Paolo Maldini has accepted the offer to become the FIGC’s Technical Director. Maldini will carry out this role alongside Leonardo in his capacity as an Advisor.

Giovanni Malagò will also appoint Paolo Maldini as President of Club Italia. "Maldini was always my first choice," Malagò said. "I felt he could be the right person to oversee the FIGC's technical sector, which doesn't just cover the senior national team but the entire pathway of the national youth teams. Over the past two weeks, we have discussed all the projects in detail, and Paolo immediately told me that he would be happy to involve Leonardo as a consultant because there is a lot of work to do and it will be demanding and challenging. I'm pleased because I have enormous respect for Leonardo. They are two sides of the same coin. This is a four-year commitment that must take us from here to the next World Cup in 2030, with a European Championship along the way."

- Italian Football Federation 

GENNARO GATTUSO EXITS AS ITALY MANAGER AFTER WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FAILURE

Italians have missed three consecutive World Cups after playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty

Italy have parted company with their head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, the country’s football federation (FIGC) said on Friday, after the national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Italy lost Tuesday’s playoff final in Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties and the four-times champions have now missed out on three consecutive World Cups.

Gattuso’s departure came a day after the FIGC president, Gabriele Gravina resigned, with the national team delegation head, Gianluigi Buffon, also stepping down from his role.

“With a heavy heart, having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over,” Gattuso said in a statement. “The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to lead the national team, and to do so with a group of lads who have shown commitment and loyalty to the shirt.”

Gattuso was appointed in June on a one-year contract, replacing Luciano Spalletti who was sacked following Italy’s 3-0 defeat by Norway in their opening group game, although he remained in place for the 2-0 win over Moldova the next day.

Italy won their next five group games under Gattuso, but given Norway’s far superior goal difference, they were resigned to another World Cup playoff before the final group game, which Norway won 4-1 at the San Siro.

Italy had lost at the playoff stage of the last two World Cups, but looked on course to make it this time after a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in the semi-final, before it all fell apart in Bosnia. Gattuso’s 10-man team let slip a 1-0 lead and crumbled in the penalty shootout. 

- Guardian

SAN SIRO OFF HOSTING 2027 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

UEFA has re-opened the bidding process to stage the 2027 Champions League final after stripping Milan's San Siro Stadium of the hosting rights.

The San Siro, the home ground of AC Milan and Inter Milan, last staged the Champions League final in 2016 when Real Madrid defeated Atlético Madrid following a penalty shoot-out.

UEFA announced Milan as the 2027 host city in May this year at the same time as confirming the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, as the venue for the 2026 Champions League final.

But despite confirming Milan as the 2027 venue, UEFA did so on the proviso that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) submitted information in the plans for the multi-million pound refurbishment of the San Siro.

Those plans remain uncertain with both Milan and Inter considering moving out of the San Siro, officially named the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, due to an ongoing battle to secure funding for the renovation of the existing stadium.

If funds cannot be secured, the 75,817-capacity San Siro, which opened in 1926, could be demolished.

And with the future of the stadium still shrouded in doubt, UEFA has announced that it will now seek a new host venue for the 2027 Champions League final following a meeting of its Executive Committee on Tuesday.

A UEFA statement said, "As the Municipality of Milano could not guarantee that the San Siro stadium and its surroundings would not be affected by refurbishment works in the period of the 2027 UEFA Champions League final, it was decided not to assign the final to Milan and to re-open the bidding process to appoint a suitable venue, with a decision expected in May/June 2025."

Munich's Allianz Arena will host the 2025 Champions League final on May 31, but with only Budapest and Milan submitting bids to host the 2026 and 2027 finals when the bidding process opened in July 2023, a source has told ESPN that UEFA will now seek expressions of interest from cities that originally chose not to bid for the 2027 Champions League final.

+ Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

NEWCASTLE STILL IN LIMBO OVER TONALI BAN, SAYS

Reuters 

Sandro Tonali could be available for Newcastle United this weekend despite being given a 10-month ban for breaches of Italian betting rules, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The head of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Thursday that midfielder Tonali had been sanctioned with an 18-month ban, eight of which will be commuted to alternative treatment.

JUVENTUS GIVE FULL SUPPORT TO FAGIOLI AS BAN BEGINS FOR BETTING

Reuters 

Juventus will provide full support to Nicolo Fagioli after the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed the player's seven-month ban for breaching rules on betting on matches has begun, the Serie A club said on Thursday.

The FIGC announced the punishment on Tuesday, before confirming two days later that his suspension begins on Oct. 19, meaning the player could return for the end of the season.

The FIGC also confirmed that Fagioli will undergo therapy for his gambling lasting at least six months, and in a minimum of 10 public meetings in a period of five months.

MANCINI RESIGNATION ENDS 'SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER' IN ITALY'S HISTORY

Reuters

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has resigned, ending a five-year spell in which they became European champions but missed out on the World Cup, the football federation (FIGC) said on Sunday.

Mancini took charge of the four-time World Cup winners in 2018 after they failed to qualify for that year's global tournament in Russia, having previously not missed the finals of soccer's showpiece event since 1958.

The 58-year-old coach said resigning was a "personal choice".

"I thank all my players and fans who have accompanied me in these five years," Mancini wrote on Instagram.

"I will always carry the extraordinary victory of the 2020 European Championship in my heart. It has been an honour."