The head of the Italian association, Gabriele Gravina, wants to continue working with coach Roberto Mancini despite missing the World Cup. “I wish that Mancini stays with us. We have committed ourselves to a project,” said the head of the association RAI: “I’m bitter and I feel sorry for the fans. This end, which was really unpredictable in this form, hurts. We need energy to get going again and I’m ready to provide it.”
Captain Giorgio Chiellini is also hoping Mancini will stay. On Thursday evening, he did not want to say whether the 37-year-old defensive veteran would continue after the bitter 0-1 (0-0) win in the World Cup play-offs against North Macedonia.
Italy: Mancini is under contract until 2026
After the embarrassing failure, Mancini himself initially left open his whereabouts as Italian national coach. “We’ll see – the disappointment is too big to talk about the future,” said the coach immediately after the final whistle: “It’s hard to think about things like that. It won’t be easy in the next few days.”
As in 2018, European champions Italy missed the World Cup due to the defeat in Palermo. Mancini has a contract as national coach until 2026.
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