Italy move swiftly after soap involving Pirlo and Maldini and appoint national coach

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Italy have appointed a new head coach, Fabrizio Romano reported on Tuesday. Roberto Mancini, who won the European Championship with Italy in 2021, is to lead the country to the European Championship.

The appointment came a day after Andrea Pirlo failed to become head coach at the last moment. Technical director Paolo Maldini had reached an agreement with the former midfielder, but president Giovanni Malagò pulled the plug.

Malagò objected because Pirlo appears in an advert for a Russian gambling company. He found that unacceptable and decided he did not want to proceed with the former manager of, among others, Juventus.

Furious, Maldini felt his authority had been undermined. On Monday, he decided to step down from his duties immediately, ending his time with the federation after only 16 days.

Italy then appointed Claudio Ranieri as Maldini's successor on Tuesday. He moved quickly to reach an agreement with Mancini, who is now starting his second spell as head coach.

Now Mancini must put Italy back on the map. The southern European country have missed three World Cups in a row.