Abete: ‘Nothing has changed’ if Italy coach chosen by President before technical director | OneFootball

Failed FIGC Presidential candidate Giancarlo Abete hints that after Paolo Maldini and Leonardo decided to resign, the new Italy coach will be chosen before a technical director. ‘So nothing has changed.’

The Italian football world is in utter chaos once again, as just 16 days after Maldini was announced as the technical director of Club Italia, a role that was created to give greater autonomy to the Nazionale, it is back to square one.

Italy technical director Paolo Maldini, special advisor Leonardo, FIGC President Giovanni Malagò and Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli (figc.it)

After Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola turned down the bench, Andrea Pirlo was chosen, but that was blocked over his global brand ambassador role with a Russian gambling site, Fonbet.

It prompted Maldini and Leonardo to inform FIGC President Giovanni Malagò that they were resigning.

Malagò won the election for FIGC President in a landslide against Abete, so the losing candidate in his role as Lega Serie D President, spoke to reporters after today’s summit.

Abete sees lack of planning for Italy

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 01: Giancarlo Abete Former President of FIGC arrives at Gran Galà Del Calcio AlC 2025 on December 01, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Sara Cavallini/Getty Images)

“The appointment was evidently based on this contact with Guardiola and when he had a good possibility of taking the role, but when that faltered, they turned to Pirlo,” Abete told reporters.

“I don’t think the resignation has been formalised yet, we are reacting to what we saw in the news reports.”

There are now reports that Malagò will appoint a new Italy coach and that Roberto Mancini is the favourite, before choosing a new technical director, which is not what he had run on in the election.

FIGC President Giovanni Malago (left) with coach Roberto Mancini (right): @coppa_canottieri via Instagram.

“We are not accustomed to this. There is always a first time, we are all grown-ups, so we must try to resume the project of trying to identify a technical director of Club Italia,” added Abete.

“If that is Malagò’s project, and he pointed out many times that the sporting aspect went to Paolo Maldini, so logically the first issue must be choosing a technical director.

“That is something the President will decide. If he chooses the coach first, then that it antithetical to the project he had presented.

“The idea of giving more power to someone in charge of the Club Italia was also something I had proposed, based on the fact that the last three Presidents of the FIGC paid for their role as Presidents of Club Italia, so logically choosing someone with their own authority made sense.

“Maybe there was a misunderstanding on the kind of rapport that they were meant to have. Now if we go back to the old way of doing things and the President chooses the coach first, then a technical director, nothing has changed.”