Roberto Mancini apologised publicly for his mistakes on Wednesday when he was hired to take charge of the Italian football team in a crisis era. Last August, Mancini resigned from the same job and then took a lucrative coaching job in Saudi Arabia.
Mancini compared his resignation to a heartbreaking personal loss, saying he walked away from the Azzurri to be the most important relationship of all and that this was an act that had never been appropriate. He expressed his sorrow for everything that has happened in the last three years and he would work without fail to bring the national team back to the top level where it belongs. Mancini added that everything was completely his fault, as he said he broke up with the Federation president Gabriele Gravina when he left for the Middle East.
And in the new year, Italy will be under pressure after a rollercoaster of a season. Italy failed to reach a third straight World Cup, a disaster which led to the resignation of federation president Gabriele Gravina and manager Gennaro Gattuso in April and shortly after a painful playoff loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The federation’s leadership turned to Mancini, who has been a manager of the Azzurri’s greatest success in winning the European Championship in 2021, but he was only fourth on their wish list after Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola were rejected and Andrea Pirlo was dropped due to political complications.
Mancini’s first match back in the dugout will be September 25 against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Mancini admitted he fully understands that some supporters will turn against him and the inevitable hostility of fans still bitter over his sudden departure three years ago. But he remains optimistic that a strong performance and good results from the team will gradually earn back the trust and forgiveness of the Italian faithful.
