Rejected by Claudio Ranieri, the Italian team fell into crisis

TPO - Italy had hoped that Claudio Ranieri would save the Italian national team, but after 48 hours of consideration, the 73-year-old strategist turned down the opportunity to lead the Azzurri. The search for a head coach by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is at a standstill.

A 2-0 win over Moldova gave Italy their first three points after two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. However, they are still nine points behind Norway (four games played) and three points behind Israel (three games played). The Azzurri's journey to directly qualify for the biggest football festival on the planet after missing out twice is still very difficult.

The situation is even more difficult when FIGC has not yet determined the identity of the person who will take the head coach's seat after parting ways with Luciano Spalletti. The 66-year-old strategist has been out of the job after more than 9 months with too few positive impressions, but a ready replacement has not appeared.

In recent days, the FIGC has been quite confident that it will convince Claudio Ranieri, who is very good at reviving struggling teams. Last season, he helped Roma escape the relegation zone and win a ticket to Europe next season. Before that, he brought Cagliari to Serie A and stayed in this tournament despite modest potential.

Having announced the end of his coaching role, Ranieri appeared satisfied with his new position: senior advisor at Roma under the backing of the club's owners, the Friedkins family. However, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina has negotiated with Roma, ready to create conditions for Ranieri to hold both roles: advisor at Roma and head coach of the national team.

However, after 48 hours of consideration, Ranieri decided to decline. "I thank President Gravina for this opportunity. Leading the Azzuri is a great honor, and the Friedkins family also supported me to join the national team. But after thinking about it, I have decided to serve Roma in a new position," said the coach, who won the Premier League 2015/16 with Leicester.

Ranieri's refusal dealt a blow to the FIGC's plans, and they turned to Plan B, Stefano Pioli. However, the recently departed Al-Nassr coach is also considering a three-year offer worth €3 million per season from Fiorentina. Gennaro Gattuso and Fabio Cannavaro are other options, along with the possibility of re-signing Roberto Mancini.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bi-claudio-ranieri-tu-choi-doi-tuyen-italia-lam-vao-khung-hoang-post1749976.tpo