Continue after the World Cup disaster
Mancini wants to dry Italy’s tears himself
03/28/2022 1:42 p.m
Roberto Mancini gives Italy the European Championship title, but also leads the proud football nation “to hell”, according to the local press. After the embarrassing end in the World Cup qualifiers, the national coach has now decided: He wants to personally repair the sporting catastrophe.
Despite the embarrassing elimination in the World Cup qualifiers, Roberto Mancini wants to remain coach of the Italian national soccer team. He is still young and wants to win the World Cup after the European Championship, said the 57-year-old. He still needs time for that second goal – Italy will have to watch in Qatar after the Azzurri lost their play-off qualifier against North Macedonia last week. Only eight months earlier they had become European champions in London.
The selection coach’s contract runs until the 2026 World Cup in North America. After the recent bankruptcy, he initially left open whether he wanted to fulfill the contract or resign. Association boss Gabriele Gravina as well as a number of players, experts and commentators spoke out in favor of staying.
“Disaster of Biblical Proportions”
Mancini said a new cycle must now begin that he can turn into a successful one. The European champion is currently on the ground: According to the newspaper “Tuttosport”, the knockout was a “disaster of biblical proportions” for the sacred football in the Mediterranean country, the “Corriere dello Sport” thinks the Azzurri are “in hell” and lamented: “Farewell WM, goodbye EM, goodbye everything.”
“We are disappointed, broken, devastated,” said captain Giorgio Chiellini after the huge disappointment against North Macedonia and reported a “great emptiness” in the minds of the players from which the energy had to be released for a comeback. That doesn’t just sound physically ambitious. Mancini himself did not want to speculate about his future immediately after the bankruptcy, he first had to digest this “biggest disappointment” of his football life. Now the decision has been made. Association boss Gravina had already promised his former successful coach solidarity after the game: “I wish that he would stay with us. We have committed ourselves to a project.”
Instead of playing for the last ticket to the World Cup in Portugal on Tuesday in the play-off final, the Italians have to play a friendly game in Turkey (8.45 p.m.). The Turks had lost their playoff semi-final against Portugal in qualifying.