Roberto Mancini has agreed to an extension till 2026 to keep guiding the Italian national team. He officially put pen-to-paper at the end of today’s federal council. The coach changed his mind after saying in March that he would leave the 2022 World Cup. He was appointed in 2018, taking over after the brief Luigi Di Biagio reign following the resignation of Gian Piero Ventura.
Mancini stated: “I am very happy, I thank FIGC and president Gabriele Gravina. It is a nice moment, we have several competitions on the schedule. It is not easy to win, but our work is starting to bear its fruits. We have not done it in too many years to part ways now. We can count on a lot of youngsters; we have put together an excellent squad, but we will also need a little luck to be successful. We want to make some noise in the European Championship and lay the foundation to qualify for the next World Cup.”
During the assembly, the Italian Football Association only partly accepted the request by Serie A clubs, moving the deadline to pay the March wages from May 30th to June 24th. The teams had asked to postpone the next four ones.
The Federation also ratified the anti-Super League norm that revokes the licenses for outfits that take part in competitions that FIFA and UEFA do not recognize. Finally, it ruled that Claudio Lotito will have time until June 25th to sell his stake of Salernitana, giving him 14 more days compared to the previous deadline. The rulebook does not allow to own two clubs in the same division.