Altobelli questions Mancini’s Italy return: ‘Too late for apologies’ | OneFootball

Italy’s decision to bring back Roberto Mancini has drawn a pointed response from one of the country’s World Cup winners, with Alessandro Altobelli questioning both the appointment and the manner in which it was made.

According to Repubblica, via CalcioMercato, the former Inter striker, a hero of Italy’s 1982 triumph, praised Mancini’s qualities but could not look past the way his first spell ended.

Mancini walked out on the Azzurri in August 2023 and joined Saudi Arabia’s national team a fortnight later, a move Altobelli still regards as a mark against him.

“Mancini is an exceptional coach, he could manage any team, all the big national sides,” Altobelli said. “I even wrote to him, I sent him a message of congratulations and wished him well. But there’s that stain.”

For Altobelli, the problem is not the Gulf switch itself but the attempt to make peace with supporters after the fact. “It’s too late for apologies, I’m sorry,” he said. “This isn’t about me, the national team belongs to everyone. I don’t know whether the fans will forgive him.”

Altobelli aims dig at Mancini and Malagò after Italy fiasco

He reserved his sharpest line for the ties binding Mancini, FIGC president Giovanni Malagò and new technical director Claudio Ranieri, all figures rooted in the same Rome circles.

“If I wanted to be a coach, I’d sign up to the Aniene,” he said, referring to the capital’s exclusive sporting club. “I’d advise all young coaches to do the same. I’m not talking about cronyism… The problem is the method, how you get there. But in Italy that’s how it works, we know it.”

Altobelli was careful to credit all three men, framing his concern as one of process rather than merit. He admitted to being equally baffled by Ranieri’s change of heart, having thought the iconic coach had settled on Roma and then retirement: “I didn’t understand this decision. But I accept it.”