Roberto Mancini, who unexpectedly quit on Sunday after a stint that was both successful and unsuccessful—including winning the European Championship in 2021 and failing to qualify for the World Cup the following year—was replaced by Luciano Spalletti.
My favorite had always been Spalletti. As he guided Napoli to its first Serie A title in more than three decades last season, he received praise for his attacking strategies from all across Europe. The Italian Soccer Federation declared that it had reached an understanding with him.
Spalletti will begin his new position on September 1, according to the FIGC, before the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine, which are scheduled for September 9 and 12, respectively.
It did not specify the duration of Spalletti's 64-year-old contract, but Italian media claimed that it lasted until after the 2026 World Cup.
🚨The former Napoli manager joins Italian National Team on a contract valid until 2026 ✅ #lucianospalletti #Napoli #Italy pic.twitter.com/uqaoj8GxPx
— 12thkhiladi Football (@12k_football) August 18, 2023
Spalletti is welcome, according to FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. I'm delighted that he took the position of leading the Azzurri since the national team deserved a strong coach. For the problems that face Italy in the next few months, his energy and skill will be essential.
The federation said in its succinct statement that Spalletti's formal introduction will occur when Italy competes in the later qualifiers this month.
After leading Napoli to its first league championship in 33 years, Spalletti departed the team. When asked at the time if he would be willing to coach a national team after taking a year off, he said that he would be taking a year off.
The sooner-than-anticipated change was made possible by Mancini's resignation.
Spalletti did, however, agree to a condition in the contract he signed before leaving Napoli that said he would be paid $3.3 million if he returned to work within a year of his original agreement.
Lawyers for the Federation argue that it is a type of non-compete provision that only applies to clubs that compete with Napoli. Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, has argued that it also applies to the national team.
"I requested assurances that Spalletti would honor this sabbatical, including a penalty if his commitment wavered," De Laurentiis stated in a recent statement. (The FIGC) shouldn't be intimidated by having to pay one million euros per year on the coach's behalf to free him from his contractual obligations (a commitment to Napoli as well as its millions of fans). All of this makes no sense.
Napoli and I agree that three million euros is not much, but the issue here isn't about the 'almighty dollar,' but about principle."