​FIGC president Giovanni Malagò was seen taking part in a five-a-side match alongside Roberto Mancini, who remains among the leading contenders for the role of head coach of the Italy national team. Yet Malagò maintains that the federation will prioritise naming a technical director first and hints that there could still be a surprise candidate in the mix. The week ahead is poised to be pivotal for the future structure of Italy’s national team, with Malagò insisting that “this is the week for the technical director” and promising developments over the weekend as the process unfolds.
Italy continues to operate without a head coach and without a technical director after Gennaro Gattuso’s departure earlier this year. Gianluigi Buffon, who once led the delegation, left along with former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina following Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vacuum at the top comes at a time when the federation weighs its options for the next era of international competition.
On the managerial front, Mancini and Antonio Conte have emerged as the two frontrunners to succeed Gattuso as head coach. Paolo Maldini has also been linked with the technical director position, intensifying speculation about who might eventually steer Italy’s national team and shape its long-term strategy. Maldini has not issued a final decision, but Malagò has stressed that a formal appointment is imminent, underscoring his belief that a resolution is near. He reiterated that the priority is securing a technical director, while not discarding the possibility of a surprise choice.
During an interview conducted via TMW, Malagò stated, “This is the week for the technical director, I won’t change my stance on that. It’s Thursday and I hope to calm the nerves over the weekend, I’m working hard. There could also be a surprise.” The comments reinforce the federation’s current emphasis on filling the technical leadership role as Italy’s football machinery awaits a decisive move.
In a side note from the Coppa dei Canottieri tournament, reports from La Repubblica indicate that Malagò has been participating in five-a-side football alongside Mancini, a longtime association that he says dates back 50 years. Photographs and social media posts show Malagò on a team with Mancini, a detail unlikely to be interpreted as a signal of preference for any particular candidate but rather as a glimpse into the social and professional circles surrounding Italian football leadership.
Despite the casual nature of the five-a-side appearances, the broader context remains highly political. The Lega Serie A is reported to prefer a Conte-led framework for the national team, which adds another layer to the decision-making process facing the FIGC. For now, Malagò’s emphasis on prioritizing a technical director suggests a strategy aimed at establishing a solid administrative foundation before finalizing the appointment of the head coach. Whether a surprise name emerges before the weekend or the coming days remains to be seen, but the expectation is that the federation will outline its next steps shortly as it moves to resolve a period of transition for Italy’s national team setup.