Italy sack coach Spalletti after Norway World Cup loss
Luciano Spalletti has been sacked from his role as Italy's coach following their heavy loss to Norway, but will take charge of their game against Moldova.
Spalletti made the announcement at a press conference after Norway stunned Italy with a 3-0 win on Friday, handing the visitors a humiliating start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
"Last night we were together with (Italian football federation) president (Gabriele) Gravina. He told me that I will be relieved of my position as coach of the national team," Spalletti said on Sunday.
"I had no intention of giving up. I would have preferred to stay in my place and continue doing my job. I'll be there tomorrow evening against Moldova, then we'll resolve the contract."
Spalletti's dismissal comes after less than two years in the role, having replaced Roberto Mancini and taking charge in September 2023.
While Spalletti took Italy to Euro 2024, their disappointing performance there had already put the manager under pressure.
Italy went into the Euros last year in Germany as defending champions but after winning their opening game against Albania, they lost to Spain and snatched a late draw with Croatia to make the last 16 where they were beaten 2-0 by Switzerland.
Spalletti's side seemed to have recovered as they put in an impressive Nations League campaign, beating France 3-1 away and losing just once. They lost at home to the French in the final group game to finish behind France on goal difference.
Italy began this year with a 2-1 loss at the San Siro in their Nations League quarter-final first leg with Germany and found themselves 3-0 down at halftime in the return game in Dortmund.
Spalletti's side came back to salvage a draw but missed out on a semi-final place and when they fell 3-0 behind at the break against Norway, this time Italy had no reply.
The loss left Spalletti's side already facing an uphill battle to secure automatic qualification for next year's World Cup, and after Italy missed out on the last two finals, the Italian football federation (FIGC) decided to act.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Saudi heat on as Socceroos approach date with destiny
The Socceroos are adamant the lure of a World Cup will help them overcome stifling heat and a fired-up Saudi Arabia outfit hell bent on causing chaos. Australia's 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday, inspired by a 90th-minute winner from defender Aziz Behich, has put the Socceroos within a whisker of snaring an automatic spot for the 2026 World Cup finals. There remains just one tiny step to go, and one the Socceroos should pass with flying colours - not losing to Saudi Arabia by five goals or more in Jeddah on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning AEST). Entering a match with the luxury of being able to lose by four goals and still progress presents a unique challenge in itself. The Socceroos have a simple answer to ensure there's no complacency - go in with a must-win mindset. "We haven't qualified. That's the reality of the situation," Socceroos defender Jason Geria said. "Yes, Saudi have a big task ahead of them if they're to qualify in the second automatic spot, but I think we're all approaching these games as if we have to win. "It's not just going to be a game where we can't concede X amount of goals. We're here to get three points. "We're expecting a very attacking, sort of hell-bent, relentless Saudi Arabia. "But we've played them before, we've watched their games, so we know how they attack and how they can be vulnerable as well." The Socceroos will have to deal with a hostile home crowd when they take on Saudi Arabia. And they're already dealing with extreme heat, with the maximum temperature in Saudi Arabia set to be around 39 degrees Celsius for every day the Socceroos are there. As for the minimum temperatures? A toasty 31 degrees. Not that the Socceroos will let a bit of heat get in their way. "For me, I think the will to win, the will to get to a World Cup, that can sort of get you through a 35-degree game," Geria said. "It can get you through moments. It can get you through times when you feel like it may be a bit too hot." Geria said the key would be holding off the Saudis for as long as possible. "The opening 15 minutes definitely, if we were to concede a goal, things could get a bit hairy," Geria said. "It's definitely going to be one where the first 15 minutes, it's going to be the time for them to pile the pressure on us, to make us nervous, make us sweat, and see if they can mentally get ahead of us in the game. "But I think we're capable of keeping them to zero again."
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Saudi heat on as Socceroos approach date with destiny
The Socceroos are adamant the lure of a World Cup will help them overcome stifling heat and a fired-up Saudi Arabia outfit hell bent on causing chaos. Australia's 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday, inspired by a 90th-minute winner from defender Aziz Behich, has put the Socceroos within a whisker of snaring an automatic spot for the 2026 World Cup finals. There remains just one tiny step to go, and one the Socceroos should pass with flying colours - not losing to Saudi Arabia by five goals or more in Jeddah on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning AEST). Entering a match with the luxury of being able to lose by four goals and still progress presents a unique challenge in itself. The Socceroos have a simple answer to ensure there's no complacency - go in with a must-win mindset. "We haven't qualified. That's the reality of the situation," Socceroos defender Jason Geria said. "Yes, Saudi have a big task ahead of them if they're to qualify in the second automatic spot, but I think we're all approaching these games as if we have to win. "It's not just going to be a game where we can't concede X amount of goals. We're here to get three points. "We're expecting a very attacking, sort of hell-bent, relentless Saudi Arabia. "But we've played them before, we've watched their games, so we know how they attack and how they can be vulnerable as well." The Socceroos will have to deal with a hostile home crowd when they take on Saudi Arabia. And they're already dealing with extreme heat, with the maximum temperature in Saudi Arabia set to be around 39 degrees Celsius for every day the Socceroos are there. As for the minimum temperatures? A toasty 31 degrees. Not that the Socceroos will let a bit of heat get in their way. "For me, I think the will to win, the will to get to a World Cup, that can sort of get you through a 35-degree game," Geria said. "It can get you through moments. It can get you through times when you feel like it may be a bit too hot." Geria said the key would be holding off the Saudis for as long as possible. "The opening 15 minutes definitely, if we were to concede a goal, things could get a bit hairy," Geria said. "It's definitely going to be one where the first 15 minutes, it's going to be the time for them to pile the pressure on us, to make us nervous, make us sweat, and see if they can mentally get ahead of us in the game. "But I think we're capable of keeping them to zero again."
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
'This team is different': Proteas dismiss old failures
Star batter Aiden Markram insists South Africa have "buried" the heartbreaking results they've endured in previous ICC finals. Despite winning seven matches in a row to qualify, the Proteas arrive at Lord's for the World Test Championship final against Australia as underdogs. No.1 ranked Australia are gunning for back-to-back WTC trophies, having beaten India in the 2023 decider. But South Africa's history in ICC tournaments is a sorry one, having never lifted a ODI or T20 World Cup. The Proteas have lost all five ODI World Cup semi-finals, and were defeated by India in the T20 decider last year. Markram believes South Africa's previous performances in big games will count for little once the one-off Test begins on Wednesday. "This team is a bit different. Very different personnel to what the white-ball squad," Markram said at Lord's on Sunday. "We haven't addressed it too much. A few of us that have been part of previous ICC events that didn't go our way have dealt with it, chatted to each other and make sure we've buried it nicely. "It's more about the excitement of having another opportunity to actually do the job. "If we play good cricket, we'll give ourselves a fairly good chance of winning." South Africa never have the luxury of starting a tour slowly, having not played more than two Tests in a series since they travelled to Australia in 2022-23. On the other hand, Australia had to reel in a 1-0 deficit against India last summer to win the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time in a decade. Australia allrounder Beau Webster believed his side had probably earned the right to be favourites. "When you look at the guys in our dressing room and what they've accomplished, not just in this World Test cycle, but obviously in their careers, it's pretty amazing," Webster said. "The cattle we've got in our dressing room, I'm sure everyone's going in very confident into this Test. "We've got a very good record at Lord's, both individually with a few of our players, and as a collective the record here is good. "So everyone's going in with a lot of confidence." This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which is broadcasting the World Test Championship final.
