Latest news with #GabrieleGravina
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Luciano Spalletti's abrupt sacking leaves Italy with much reflecting to do
It was professional and dignified, absurd and unprecedented. Luciano Spalletti appeared for his pre-match press conference on Sunday afternoon. He sat down with the forlorn hope of at least taking a couple of questions on Italy's opponents Moldova and the line-up he had in mind for the game in Reggio Emilia. One did come — about the compatibility of strikers Mateo Retegui and Lorenzo Lucca, and whether Bologna winger Riccardo Orsolini has it in him to play false nine. But it was tokenistic. Spalletti knew the only line of inquiry regarded his future. Advertisement An hour before he was due in the auditorium at Italy's training base in Coverciano, a newsflash made it clear this would be a press conference like no other. Sky Italia's yellow ticker reported the breaking news of Spalletti's intention to resign after the Moldova game. It was true he was leaving. But it turned out reports of his inclination to quit were false. Spalletti had already been sacked by Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). It was a bizarre scene. Why was Spalletti still in charge? Usually in these cases, a statement is released, an interim coach promoted and the floor handed to Gravina to explain the decision. But Gravina had already spoken in Parma at the Festival della Serie A that morning. He had eulogised Spalletti as 'extraordinary, a noble soul… the finest person I've ever met in football, a gentleman'. Not only for accepting the job in the first place but the way he took the news of being relieved of it. Spalletti's wish had been to continue after Friday's defeat by Norway in Oslo when Italy found themselves 3-0 down at half-time. The 66-year-old did not want to go out like that, and so an awkward compromise was reached whereby he would get to put Italy back on course in their World Cup qualifying campaign — something he achieved with a 2-0 win over Moldova on Tuesday — and then graciously break his contract without seeking a payout and return to his vineyard in the rolling Tuscan hills. Unless Juventus or Fiorentina decide to make him an offer in the coming weeks, Spalletti will finally get to have the sabbatical he left Napoli to go on in 2023. Spalletti was on his farm, La Rimessa, when Gravina picked up the phone and dialled his number that summer. He had just led Napoli to their first league title in 33 years and wanted more time with the family. But his country called, and Gravina would not take 'no' for an answer. He was desperate and rightly considered Spalletti the best man for the job. Advertisement Roberto Mancini had quit — supposedly after having second thoughts about the reshuffle of his staff imposed on him by the FIGC. Mancini was instead clearing the way to accept an offer from Saudi Arabia, a decision he now regrets. 'Mancio' did not leave Spalletti a great inheritance. He left Italy with little chance of catching England in their qualifying group for Euro 2024. They had lost to Gareth Southgate's side in Naples and Spalletti was immediately under pressure to beat Ukraine to the runners-up spot. An extreme generational transition was under way, too. Barely anyone from the team that had become European champions in 2021 remained. Giorgio Chiellini had retired after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Leonardo Bonucci was in his twilight and, after an acrimonious divorce from Juventus, ended his career at Union Berlin and Fenerbahce. Arsenal's signing of Declan Rice cut Jorginho's minutes. Marco Verratti, still only 32, was in Qatar. Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi moved to Toronto FC. Leonardo Spinazzola struggled to come back from the snapped Achilles he suffered nearly four years ago, while Ciro Immobile — the most prolific striker of his generation in Italy — later followed Bonucci to Turkey and joined Besiktas. Spalletti, in other words, had to figure a lot out in a short space of time. Drama was never far away. The police interrupted one of his first get-togethers after a paparazzo, Fabrizio Corona, blew the whistle on a betting scandal that led to long-term bans for Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli. Qualification for the 2024 Euros was not straightforward either. Ukraine, for instance, believed they deserved a penalty in the 93rd minute of a 0-0 draw, crying foul after Bryan Cristante took out Mykhailo Mudryk. The tension was unceasingly high. Italy's group at the Euros featured Spain and Croatia. A soft opener against Albania in Dortmund was instantly complicated by the sort of mistake Federico Dimarco repeated in this season's Champions League final. Although Italy came back to win, Spalletti had doubts about the same XI's ability to cope with Spain's speed and intensity. Nevertheless, he tried to play them at their own game a few days later. Rather than adapt according to his gut feeling, he treated the game as a test. His team not only flunked it as he had foreseen, but their confidence in his game model was also shattered. Spalletti found himself in a difficult position. In order to play at the rhythm he considered necessary to compete, he had to rotate. But wholesale change looked punitive, and change was also the enemy of chemistry. A vicious cycle began. In Leipzig, Italy dramatically made it to the knockouts with a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia. It was a moment of euphoria and had the potential to re-energise the group and make the players believe again. Rather than enjoy it, Spalletti went on a mole hunt in the press conference that followed, seizing on an apparently innocuous question about a pact between him and the players, which he considered a damaging leak from inside the camp. Advertisement Elimination came shortly afterwards against Switzerland in Berlin. It was one of the most insipid and emotionless performances ever put on by the national team at a major tournament, the opposite of Italy's display at the same stadium in 2006 when they last won the World Cup. There were, unsurprisingly, calls for Spalletti to go, and he was memorably offended by a foreign journalist who likened the Swiss to a Ferrari and his Italy to a Fiat Panda. Italy's head of communications was told to make a note of the reporter's name for future reference. Gravina rightly felt Spalletti deserved more time. He had only been in the job nine months and had got to work with the players just once in 2024 (the March international break) before the tournament started. Vindication seemed to follow quickly. Italy fell behind after 14 seconds in their first game back after the Euros. Bradley Barcola caught out his club team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was still wrapping up his gloves at the Parc des Princes. But Italy came back and won 3-1, winning in France for the first time in 70 years. The style with which they played that night also matched the initial expectations of what Spalletti might be able to achieve with the Azzurri. Tonali was back from suspension. Samuele Ricci made the midfield more cerebral. Andrea Cambiaso looked like the picture of a modern hybrid footballer. Strikers Retegui and Moise Kean were beginning to score. Not even the anterior cruciate ligament tears suffered by Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini could stop the blossoming of a new era. Two-nil up against Belgium, only a Lorenzo Pellegrini red card allowed their opponents back into the game to snatch a point. Had Pellegrini stayed on the field, Italy perhaps would have won their Nations League group instead of finishing second on goal difference to France, who beat them 3-1 in the return game at San Siro. It meant playing Germany, not Croatia, in the knockouts. Italy would take the lead in that game at San Siro but lost, and were 3-0 down at half-time in Dortmund, only to stage a heroic but ultimately futile comeback to make it 3-3 on the night. Overall, Spalletti's Italy reflected the worst febrility of his nature, and little of his genius. In the end, this is what disappointed him most. Advertisement A year ago, in the debrief after the Switzerland debacle, he acknowledged a leadership deficit in the post-Chiellini-Bonucci era. His hope was that players like Riccardo Calafiori would fill it. Spalletti wanted others to follow Tonali and Calafiori to the Premier League. Federico Chiesa swiftly did; however, he only started once for Liverpool in the Premier League. Heralded as Italy's next big thing after his goals against Austria and Spain at Euro 2020, Chiesa was overhyped and then badly injured. He has not lived up to expectations. Spalletti has instead had to build around a core of Inter players. One of the excuses he made for Italy's performance at the Euros last summer was that Inter won the league too early and had lost match rhythm going into the tournament. This week, the same players were, by contrast, exhausted after a 59-game season which ended without a treble or a trophy, and with the scars of a 5-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. That Friday's qualifier against Norway came only six days after Munich shows how relentless the football calendar is today. The Champions League has been expanded. The Nations League is bigger. A Club World Cup awaits. Is it any wonder Inter's players look dead on their feet? Alessandro Bastoni was the one who gave the ball away and played Alexander Sorloth onside for Norway's first goal. The second from Antonio Nusa was a worldie. The third figured as the end for Italy and Spalletti, who had not helped himself in the build-up to the game by falling out with Francesco Acerbi, the veteran defender. Spalletti had called him out at the beginning of the international break for not answering a call-up. The wisdom of clashing with a centre-back who has reserved his best performances for Erling Haaland — at a time when Calafiori and Alessandro Buongiorno were out injured — was questionable, as was picking a fight with someone close to the other senior players in the Italy squad, although Spalletti emphatically denied losing the dressing room. When asked if he had been betrayed, Spalletti paused and read out the names of the FIGC executive team in a thankful tone. He then got up and left. The auditorium applauded. The press appreciated his honesty, his self-criticism, the way he fronted up and held himself accountable above anybody else. Spalletti could undoubtedly have handled some situations better. His adaptation to international football was not seamless and his uncompromising ways made life harder. On the one hand, Italy have underperformed relative to the talent available. On the other, the talent is still not what it was in the 1980s and 90s — even though Italy are the current under-17 and under-19 European champions and finished runners-up at the last Under-20 World Cup. Advertisement It is still early days in qualifying for next year's World Cup. Italy have played two of eight games and while overhauling Norway looks difficult, it is not impossible. That said, changing coach is not enough on its own to restore the national team to greatness. The system must change too. And yet the system seems to think everything is fine. Gravina was recently re-elected president of the FIGC with 98 per cent of the vote. When Italian football looks at itself in the mirror, it still apparently likes enough of what it sees to keep the status quo. After all, there were five Italian teams in the Champions League this season, a reward for finishing first in the UEFA coefficient. But the national team remains a source of dissatisfaction, and reflection is needed. More cracks are appearing in the mirror and if missing one World Cup was bad luck, failing to qualify for three in a row would be something else.
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Dilly ding, dilly dong! Italy press the World Cup panic button
When Italy were humbled by Norway in their opening World Cup qualifier on Friday night, the response from Gazzetta dello Sport was as measured as you would expect. 'ENOUGH!' screamed the pink paper's front-page headline the next day, while the lengthy howl of anguish over which it appeared declared that the country's 'World Cup is already at risk'. While Luciano Spalletti had been bullish in the immediate aftermath of his knack-ravaged side's 3-0 defeat in Oslo, on Sunday he cut a far more forlorn figure as he appeared alone before a bloodthirsty press-pack to preview the qualifier against Moldova, unaccompanied by any of his players or even a simpering national team media handler. 'I spoke with [Italian FA chief suit Gabriele] Gravina last night and he informed me that I will be relieved of my duties as national team coach,' Spalletti sniffed, salty tears visible as his hawk-eyed not-quite-former Signor Gravina peered his way from the front row. 'I am disappointed: given the relationship we have, I had no intention of stepping down. Especially when things are not going well, I would have preferred to stay and do my job. However, it is a dismissal and I have to accept it. I have always seen this role as a service to my country and I want to facilitate the future of the national team. I think it is right to seek the best solution.' While Italian panic at the prospect of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup is as understandable as it is stereotypical, it could be argued the knee-jerk decision to bundle Spalletti out of the door marked Do One is more than a little shabby and not just because he had to announce his own dismissal and will still be in charge later, when Italy host Moldova. Having masterminded Napoli's first scudetto in 33 years two seasons ago, the first thing he did was get a memento of the achievement indelibly inked on his left forearm before announcing he would be taking a 12-month sabbatical, citing exhaustion. Just a couple of months later, he agreed to leave the Tuscan farm that is his happy place and step into the Italian managerial breach after a Roberto Mancini-shaped hole was left in the national FA's exit door when his head was turned, Exorcist-style, by a megabucks offer from Saudi Arabia. Hampered by knack and lengthy suspensions to key players, Spalletti's reign has not been plain sailing and many felt he ought to have been binned off following the Azzurri's meek exit from Euro 2024. Instead, the powers that be let him continue in his post before pulling the trigger after just one setback in World Cup qualifying. Having jettisoned the 66-year-old Spalletti, Italy have set their sights on a comparative novice in Claudio Ranieri, actually 73. Despite his advancing years, The Tinkerman was fit enough to move upstairs to a directorial role at Roma last month without the help of the engineers at Stannah, and is believed to be up for the job of managing Italy, as long as he doesn't have to give up his advisory role with the Giallorossi. Should he take up the cudgels reluctantly laid down by Spalletti, his first game in charge will be at home to Estonia in September. Italy's players can expect to be dilly-dinged and dilly-donged into serious action if they are to avoid the ignominy of missing their third World Cup in a row. Join Michael Butler at 7.45pm (BST) for World Cup qualifying updates on Belgium 2-1 Wales. Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach [Michal Probierz], I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge. I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world' – Robert Lewandowski reacts well to losing the captain's armband. So Spurs sack Ange at exactly one minute past the time that Football Daily was sent out. That is so Spursy and not Spursy at the same time. Frank-ly, I am not surprised' – Nigel Sanders. Brentford lost eight and won only one of Thomas Frank's first 10 games in charge. How long do you think he would last at Tottenham if that happened there?' – Russell Wallman. Possibly the second instance of a tragic figure called Ange, stumbling from one crisis to the next, getting their divorce papers after their greatest triumph' – Kev McReady. Apropos of nothing, Tottenham Hotspur's next competitive fixture is a cup final. Ryan Mason must be kicking himself for leaving to join West Brom …' – Noble Francis. I'm not sure New Zealand could support, as Jon Millard put it, the weight of CR7's ego. It's already snapped in the middle' – Jarrod Prosser. If you do have any, please send letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is … Kev McReady. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. Listen up! It's the latest episode of Football Weekly. Uriah Rennie, the first black Premier League referee, has died at the age of 65. The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield and oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches. Michail Antonio is likely to leave West Ham when his contract expires at the end of this month. The forward has been working towards a return to action after suffering a broken leg in a car crash six months ago but is yet to reach an agreement over a new deal with the club. Chelsea have signed defender Mamadou Sarr from partner club Strasbourg. The price is £12m and his contract just the eight years. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal winning the Nations League? Tick. The Bellingham Tax is in full operation: it appears that Jobe, younger brother of Jude, will be joining Borussia Dortmund from Sunderland for a fee of ... wait for it ... £28m, potentially rising to £32m. A £50m offer for Granny Bellingham is expected next. Mauricio Pochettino has laughed off rumours he may be a contender to jump into the Ange Postecoglou-shaped hole at Spurs. 'I think it's not realistic,' guffawed the USA USA USA boss. In yet more Spurs managerial news: the club have sacked Robert Vilahamn, the women's head coach, after two years in charge. His second season did not bring a trophy, but it did end with an 11th-placed WSL finish, deemed unacceptable. Pescara are back in Serie B, baby. Promotion came via a penalty shootout victory over Ternana in the Serie C playoff final, goalkeeper Alessandro Plizzari the hero with three spot-kick saves. And occasional Manchester City goalkeeper and trainee gardener Scott Carson, 78, is leaving the club after six years, two appearances and 12 trophies. Snoop Dogg is reportedly looking to branch out from gin and juice and open a burger van at Celtic Park in Glasgow. Yep, the rapper has already published a cookbook and claims to have spoken to top, top sweary chef Effin' Gordon Ramsay about a possible venture in Glasgow together – but he has now revealed he wants to set up a fast-food van in 'Paradise' instead. 'I would love to bring a pop-up burger [van] to a sports stadium to show fans that food at stadiums can be good. It's got to be Celtic Park, man. The secret to a good burger is the love in the preparation. The ground beef has got to be mixed with some secret spices, then add a good-quality cheese and some maple-cured bacon. The Celtic fans are gonna love it, and to make sure they are just right, Snoop is going to be serving them himself.' It's an interesting career move. What about Ibrox? 'Am I going to bring my burgers to Rangers as well? Nah, I think we will give that a miss.' Bruno Fernandes staying put means Manchester United face all kinds of trade-offs, warns Jonathan Liew. 'I loved living in Brussels … I was completely unrecognisable' – Wales boss Craig Bellamy tells Ben Fisher why the Belgian capital, which often tops those top 10-boring city lists, suited him down to the ground. Given the competition, to be considered as the worst sports movie ever is quite an accolade, and one entirely befitting of Fifa. Sean Ingle asked Sepp Blatter about their United Passions epic, and this is what he said. Integrity's Jordan Henderson showed the spirit his England teammates lacked, concludes Jonathan Wilson after sitting through the entirety of the Andorra game. The boom in classic football shirts shows no sign of fading, writes Paul MacInnes, which is potentially great news for those of us who have hoarded Cowdenbeath away kits for decades. And the Rumour Mill is all over the latest gossip – and our men's and women's summer transfer interactives are right here, right now! Members of the Chile squad enjoy a training session at Wembley in February 1998. They were just as enthusiastic in the friendly itself, beating a lacklustre England 2-0 thanks to two strikes from Marcelo Salas.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Italy coach Spalletti says he has been sacked after Norway defeat
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti attends a press conference, ahead of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final second leg soccer match against Germany. Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said on Sunday he has been sacked, days after a shock 3-0 defeat for the Azzurri in a World Cup qualifier in Norway which raised fears they could miss the finals a third straight time. Federico Gambarini/dpa Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said on Sunday he has been sacked, days after a shock 3-0 defeat for the Azzurri in a World Cup qualifier in Norway which raised fears they could miss the finals a third straight time. Spalletti said he was informed by the national federation that he has to go after Monday's qualifier against Moldova. Advertisement "I am sorry. I would have preferred to stay and tried to change things," Spelletti told reporters. "But I take notice of the sacking based on the negative results." Spalletti, 66, said he has a good relationship with federation boss Gabriele Gravina and that he would ask the federation to terminate his contract until 2026 after Monday's match. "I owe this to the federation which always supported me when the results were not coming," he said. Spalletti became Italy coach in September 2023, after leading Napoli to the Serie A title four months earlier. Candidates to replace Ranieri reportedly include Claudio Ranieri who last was in charge of Roma. The 73-year-old said after the past season that he would retire.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Sacked Spalletti to leave Italy job after Moldova match
Luciano Spalletti's dismissal comes after less than two years in the role. (NTB/AP pic) MILAN : Luciano Spalletti has been sacked from his role as Italy's coach, with the manager announcing the decision himself today, following their heavy loss to Norway, but he will take charge of Tuesday's game against Moldova. Spalletti was speaking at a press conference ahead of the Moldova match which comes after Norway stunned Italy with a 3-0 win yesterday, 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. '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. 'I was convinced I could get to the World Cup, and I remain convinced this national team can get there,' Spalletti added. 'I love this shirt, the players I have coached, and tomorrow night I will ask them to show everything they have.' Spalletti was asked if he felt betrayed, but the manager could hardly get any more words out, and with tears in his eyes he left the press room. The 66-year-old, who previously managed the likes of AS Roma, Zenit St Petersburg and Inter Milan, came into the Italian job on the back of leading Napoli to the Scudetto in 2023, but was unable to bring that success to the national side. Italian media reports suggest Stefano Pioli, currently boss of Saudi club Al-Nassr and a Serie A title winner with AC Milan, is one of the favourites to replace Spalletti, with Claudio Ranieri's name also mentioned. Ranieri recently retired for a second time after his spell at Roma last season, but the 73-year-old could be tempted to return once more if offered his dream job with Italy.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
FIGC insist to appoint Claudio Ranieri as Italy coach
The Italian federation led by Gabriele Gravina are not giving up in their pursuit of Claudio Ranieri. After the decision to part ways with Spalletti, FIGC president Gravina has opted to try and convince Claudio Ranieri to lead Italy next. Advertisement According to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport, today a summit was held between Ranieri, Florent Ghisolfi and Gian Piero Gasperini, the new Giallorossi coach. Ranieri reiterated his intention to continue acting as Roma's new senior advisor as he would like to keep his word to the Friedkin family, with whom he has established an excellent bond. The pressure from the FIGC to convince him, however, continues and Ranieri is now said to be torn.
