ROME.- Roberto Mancini He stated this Sunday that he made a mistake when in August 2023 he resigned from the position of coach of Italy to be from Saudi Arabia.
“If I could go back, I would not repeat the decision to leave the Nazionale because coaching that team is the most beautiful thing,” Mancini, who was fired as Saudi coach in October, told the RAI public television channel.
“Maybe I didn’t understand well with the president of the Italian Federation (Gabriele Gravina), maybe we were simply in a difficult moment, maybe everything could have developed differently. But I have nothing against him,” he added.
Mancini (60 years old) was the coach who led Italy to the Euro Cup title in 2021. In August 2023, the announcement of his resignation was surprising, citing disagreements with the leaders of the Italian Football Federation.
At the time of the announcement he indicated that he was not in contact with any other club or Federation, but a few days after the resignation he was named Saudi Arabia coach.
His contract there was due to last until 2027, but was terminated in October due to that team’s disappointing results. With Mancini on their bench, the ‘Green Falcons’ had a record of seven wins, five draws and six losses.
Clarification
Mancini assured that his decision to go to Saudi Arabia was not due to money. The contract guaranteed him an annual salary of 25 million dollars.
“My career speaks for itself,” he defended that statement.
His name has recently been heard as a possible new coach of Roma, who last month turned to veteran Claudio Ranieri (73 years old), who was retired and who decided to return to help his former team.
Mancini told RAI that he is not “in contact with anyone.”
“But something will happen, it’s just a matter of time,” he said.
